JAKARTA: The Indonesian government has officially reopened salt imports amid mounting pressure from domestic industries struggling with raw material shortages. The decision, announced by Chief Food Affairs Minister Zulkifli Hasan, comes as critical sectors including pharmaceuticals and food manufacturing report supply disruptions.
Speaking at a press briefing following a national commodity coordination meeting in Central Jakarta, Zulkifli—popularly known as Zulhas—acknowledged that the administration had little choice but to ease import restrictions in light of surging demand from industrial consumers.
“Industries have been crying out, from pharmaceuticals to food and beverage manufacturers. Even intravenous fluid production requires salt,” he stated.
Initially, Presidential Regulation No. 126/2022 outlined a complete halt to salt imports by January 2025 as part of a broader initiative to achieve national self-sufficiency. However, due to the inadequate capacity of local salt production, this deadline has now been postponed by two years.
“That’s the agreement. The full import ban will begin in 2027. In the meantime, we’re giving time to the Maritime and Fisheries Ministry to develop local salt processing plants,” Zulhas added.
The new timeline gives the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry until the end of 2027 to build the infrastructure required to support domestic salt production, particularly for industrial-grade applications.
The policy shift follows a cabinet-level meeting chaired by President Prabowo Subianto in early February to pre-empt supply bottlenecks ahead of the Ramadan season. Maritime Affairs Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono confirmed at the meeting that local production still falls significantly short of national demand, especially during peak periods.
“We still need imports to meet food-related needs. We’re not yet self-sufficient,” Sakti stated at the State Palace on 5 February.
Indonesia’s dependence on imported salt has remained relatively stable over the past five years. In 2020, imports totalled 2.61 million tonnes, valued at USD 94.56 million. This figure rose to 2.83 million tonnes in 2021 and remained above 2.7 million tonnes annually through 2024.
In 2024 alone, Indonesia imported 2.75 million tonnes of salt, valued at USD 125.9 million. Australia remained the leading supplier, providing 2.02 million tonnes, followed by India with 723,900 tonnes. New Zealand and China accounted for smaller volumes at 2,490 and 1,840 tonnes, respectively.
As part of its revised strategy, the government intends to gradually reduce reliance on salt imports while ramping up domestic output through targeted investment in production and processing facilities over the next two years.
-Jakarta Globe
