RI's salt iodization program faces many problems<\/p>\n
Text and photos by Prapti Widinugraeni<\/p>\n
SUMENEP, Madura (JP): \"Iodized salt will be available for
\neveryone in Indonesia by the end of the year\".<\/p>\n
Although this ambitious target has, to some extent, been
\nrepeatedly declared by Minister of Health Sujudi, his
\nannouncement earlier this month was particularly interesting
\nbecause he made it during a visit to Sumenep, one of the
\ncountry's \"salt reserves\".<\/p>\n
The \"salt iodizing program\" was launched by the government
\nmore than 10 years ago to reduce the number of people suffering
\nfrom iodine deficiency disorders, which includes an enlargement
\nof thyroid glands, more commonly known as goiter, and cretinism,
\nwhich is characterized by mental retardation, incapability of
\nnormal speech, movement and hearing and stunted growth.<\/p>\n
According to official statistics from the ministry of health,
\napproximately 30 million Indonesians have a high risk of
\nsuffering from one of the disorders.<\/p>\n
From this number, approximately 10 million are already known
\nto suffer from endemic cases of goiter, approximately 750,000
\nfrom cretinism and another 3.5 million from other cases of
\ndisorders.<\/p>\n
The normal amount of iodine required by an average person is
\n150 micrograms per day, 90 percent of which is usually derived
\nfrom food and water.<\/p>\n
However, in many regions, especially in mountainous areas or
\nin lowlands by rivers, the iodine content in water, soil, plants
\nand animals is very small and cannot be relied on to provide the
\nbody with the required amount of iodine.<\/p>\n
\"Iodizing\" came as an answer to fill this deficiency.
\nIodizing is done either by injecting iodized oil into the body,
\ntaking iodine capsules or by fortifying everyday salt with
\niodine.<\/p>\n
Salt fortification was later considered the most efficient
\nmeans of iodizing since salt is an essential ingredient in foods
\nand is consumed on a daily basis.<\/p>\n
Many problems face salt iodizing and its consumption.<\/p>\n
Sujudi said that presently only 30 percent of the salt
\nconsumed by the public is iodized.<\/p>\n
The process calls for relatively expensive facilities and once
\nthe salt is produced, it is costlier than the regular, non-
\niodized salt.<\/p>\n
This type of salt, he said, costs at least Rp 300 (13 U.S.
\ncents) which, for many of the people living in rural areas, is
\nmore expensive and less preferable than the non-iodized type,
\nwhich is about Rp 100.<\/p>\n
State-owned PT Garam, with a history going way back to the
\ncolonial days, has been appointed by the government to manage the
\nsalt industry to the point of distributing and marketing the
\nproduct.<\/p>\n
The company also supervises the traditional salt
\nmanufacturers, producing iodized salt which meets the Indonesian
\nNational Standard and the Indonesian Industrial Standard
\nand--perhaps most important of all--controlling the national salt
\nsupply and stabilizing prices through market operations.<\/p>\n
From the 5,500 hectares of salt fields it owns in various
\nareas of Madura plus 17,000 hectares owned by local farmers, PT
\nGaram, according to President Muchji Rusnosuprapto, is capable of
\nproducing 300,000 tons of salt per year.<\/p>\n
\"This is about 30 percent of the total amount of salt needed
\nby Indonesians,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Oversupply<\/p>\n
Like many agricultural products which greatly rely on natural
\nconditions, salt productions has fluctuated. There has more often
\nbeen an oversupply rather than an over-demand for it.<\/p>\n
Last year, for instance, salt prices dropped to only Rp 4
\n(less than one U.S. cent) per kilogram due to abundant yields and
\ngood climate.<\/p>\n
To prop up prices, PT Garam came in to buy the stock and
\nprices recovered. Presently, Muchji said, the company buys salt
\nfrom the farmers at Rp 19,000 ($9.5) to Rp 24,000 ($12) per ton,
\ndepending on the quality.<\/p>\n
\"The salt we buy from farmers must be iodized to meet the
\nIndonesian Industrial Standards and Indonesian National Standards
\nbefore it can be sold at the market. This is where our salt
\nprocessing plant comes in,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The plant in Kalianget, Sumenep, which produces industrial
\nsalt and iodized consumer salt, starts by pumping sea water into
\nits salt fields, evaporating the water and crystallizing it by
\nmeans of a fractional crystallization system.<\/p>\n
Conveyor belts bring the dried salt into PT Garam's salt
\npurification plant where several dozen of employees clean it and
\nkeep watch as the conveyor brings the salt up to a huge iodizing
\nmachine. The salt is also broken down to finer crystals for
\nconsumer purposes in this plant.<\/p>\n
Employees in a separate plant pack the iodized salt into 100-
\nkilogram sacks which are then sealed and ready to be shipped to
\nother parts of the country.<\/p>\n
The salt also goes to processing and packaging companies
\nwhich, for example, manufacture the salt into fine table salt.<\/p>\n
\"We still need many more plants like this. The government
\nplans to provide Rp 83 billion ($41.5 million) for a new plant,
\nwhich will be very useful because the more iodizing is done, the
\nmore salt we need,\" Muchji said.<\/p>\n
Iodizing, he said, can help reduce the abundant supply of salt
\nbecause the purification process requires the salt to be cleansed
\nof non-iodine minerals before it can be iodized. The cleansing
\nprocess can reduce the salt to one-third of its original volume.<\/p>\n
Hopefully, Muchji said, iodizing--despite its costliness--will
\nguarantee not only people consuming more iodine but also that
\nthere is no oversupply of salt in the market.<\/p>",
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