Gibran targets Rote Ndao salt plant to meet national demand of 5 million tonnes

Vice President of Indonesia, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, highlighted that Indonesia still cannot meet the national salt requirement of five million tonnes per year. Therefore, the National Salt Industry Centre Zone (K-SIGN) project in Rote Ndao is considered important to underpin domestic salt supply. The visit to K-SIGN in Rote Timur District, Rote Ndao Regency, took place on Friday, 22 May 2026, to ensure the development of the national salt industry runs optimally while supporting President Prabowo Subianto’s directives on food self-sufficiency and the downstream maritime sector. In the K-SIGN area, Gibran received explanations about the development of the salt industrial zone and also inspected salt crystal ponds, storage warehouses, and spoke with salt farmers and local government. During the tour, Gibran stressed that domestic salt demand remains high and cannot yet be fully met by domestic production. He said the salt project in Rote Ndao plays a strategic role in supporting the fulfilment of national needs. ‘This is our salt demand per year of five million tonnes. We cannot fulfil that yet, therefore this project here is very important to be able to meet domestic salt needs. Because the President is concerned with food self-sufficiency, salt is one of them,’ said Gibran. In addition to pushing for self-sufficiency, Gibran emphasised accelerating the operation of the area so that the economic benefits of the project can be felt by local communities soon. ‘We want this to become functional as soon as possible. We want to create as many job opportunities as possible, so locals can be helped, their welfare improved, and most importantly the multiplier effects of the project’s construction can be felt—not just on paper but genuinely by the residents here,’ he added. Meanwhile, the Regent of Rote Ndao, Paulus Henuk, hopes the strategic project can provide direct benefits to the community, especially those affected by the salt pond development. Paulus stressed that the regional government is ready to fully support central government programmes that positively impact the welfare of the people. ‘He (the Vice President) wants to ensure that central government attention through the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, which budgets a large allocation, can run well so that the people of Rote Ndao, particularly those affected by K-SIGN, can enjoy the results of this development,’ the Regent said. During the working visit, the Vice President was accompanied by East Nusa Tenggara Governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena, Director General for Maritime Management A. Koswara, the President Director of Nindya Karya Firmansyah, and Regent Paulus Henuk.