Bali's Local Salt Refused To Enter The Modern Market, Governor Koster Sends Letter To President Jokowi

Bali Governor Wayan Koster/PHOTO: Dafi VOI

DENPASAR - Bali Governor Wayan Koster sent a letter to President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to revise Presidential Decree (Keppres) Number 69 of 1994. This presidential decree is considered to prevent local products from being sold in modern markets or supermarkets in Bali.

"I have written to the President to revise this Presidential Decree. Because this Presidential Decree hinders traditional Balinese salt products," said Koster, while giving the LKPJ 2021 report at the Bali Regional Representative Council (DPRD) building, Thursday, March 31.

His party has encouraged the sale of local Balinese salt with a salt center in the districts of Buleleng, Karangasem, Jembrana Tabanan, including Denpasar City.

"We continue to encourage that this traditional Balinese salt can really be developed, its productivity increased and its quality maintained. Because it turns out that this local Balinese traditional salt has a very good taste and quality image, so it is very popular with five-star hotels," he explained.

In addition, according to Koster, local Balinese salt products are also popular in a number of areas outside Bali. Even local Balinese salt is said to be popular with foreign countries such as Japan and Korea.

"We export local traditional Balinese salt. But the funny thing is that our local salt cannot enter the modern market in Bali. It cannot enter supermarkets in Bali. Because of Presidential Decree number 69 of 1994 and the 2013 Minister of Industry Regulation concerning the use of iodized salt. that is the limit," said Koster.

The reason Balinese salt cannot enter modern markets and supermarkets in Bali, according to Koster, is because the iodine content is still lacking.

This condition is considered by Koster as only a regulation of the salt import mafia. The Bali Provincial Government will firmly break through these rules.

"I think the regulation is a game rather than a mafia importing salt. So because of that, I had to break through and the Minister of Home Affairs, Industry, and Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs strongly agree and are currently in the process of issuing a presidential decree," he said.

"Moreover, now the President has promoted an increase in the use of domestic products. So, because of that, all obstacles and regulations must be changed. So that our traditional salt can be empowered by the whole community and business actors in Bali," he continued.