Government Accelerates Land Acquisition for Rote Ndao National Salt Industry Centre

Kupang (ANTARA) – The central and regional governments are accelerating the completion of land acquisition to ensure that construction of the National Salt Industry Centre (K-SIGN) in Rote Ndao Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, proceeds according to plan.

That commitment emerged at a cross-sectoral coordination meeting on the National Strategic Programme (PSN) held at the East Nusa Tenggara Governor’s Office in Kupang on Tuesday.

The meeting was chaired by East Nusa Tenggara Governor Melkiades Laka Lena and attended by Acting Deputy II of the Presidential Staff Office Popy Rufaidah, Mid-Level Expert at the Presidential Staff Office’s Deputy II Herbert Marpaung, Young Expert at Deputy II Haris Budi Laksono, and Director-General of Marine and Fisheries Space Management at the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Miftahul Huda.

Also present were Head of the East Nusa Tenggara High Prosecutor’s Office Roch Adi Wibowo, Rote Ndao Regent Paulus Henuk, Head of the National Land Agency for East Nusa Tenggara Province I Ketut Gede Ary Sucaya, Head of the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency for East Nusa Tenggara Kapsari, Acting Regional Secretary Yohannes Oktovianus, and officials from relevant regional agencies.

The coordination meeting was a follow-up to a meeting held at the Presidential Staff Office on 16 July 2026.

The main agenda focused on accelerating land acquisition as the top priority to provide legal certainty for the construction of the K-SIGN in Rote Ndao Regency.

On that occasion, Acting Deputy II of the Presidential Staff Office Popy Rufaidah explained that her office has a mandate to oversee the implementation of various national priority programmes to ensure they proceed according to set targets.

“Our task at the Presidential Staff Office is to oversee and verify the implementation of priority programmes across Indonesia carried out by the various ministries,” she said.

She stressed that the visit was an important opportunity to align perceptions and find solutions to various obstacles, particularly regarding land acquisition, which remains a challenge in building the K-SIGN.

“Every problem must have a solution. Today we are present together as the government to find a way out of the land acquisition issues for the K-SIGN construction. This is a national strategic programme that is expected to become a new icon for East Nusa Tenggara Province, especially Rote Ndao Regency,” she said.

Meanwhile, East Nusa Tenggara Governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena emphasised that the construction of the National Salt Industry Centre is not merely seen as a salt sector development project, but as part of the economic transformation of Indonesia’s southern region that will have a broad impact on regional development.

“The presence of the National Salt Industry Centre in Rote Ndao Regency will open new jobs, encourage the growth of salt-based downstream industries, strengthen national industrial resilience, and improve community welfare,” he said.

In line with the regional development vision, the Governor wants to ensure that this strategic investment truly delivers optimal benefits for the people of East Nusa Tenggara.

The Governor also reaffirmed the East Nusa Tenggara Provincial Government’s commitment, which has fully supported the designation of the K-SIGN construction in Rote Ndao Regency as a National Strategic Project from the outset.

“Since first receiving information about the plan to build the K-SIGN in Rote Ndao Regency, the Provincial Government has declared its full support for this programme because it is believed to have a major impact on regional and national economic growth,” he said.

Nevertheless, the Governor acknowledged that the construction process still faces several challenges, especially regarding land acquisition.

Therefore, all stages must be completed while prioritising the principles of legal certainty, transparency, and protection of community rights.

“Quality development must stand on a strong legal foundation. That is why resolving the legality of the land is non-negotiable,” he said.

The East Nusa Tenggara Provincial Government is committed to supporting the acceleration of the Location Determination (Penlok), completing all administrative documents according to its authority, ensuring that all processes comply with prevailing laws and regulations, and guaranteeing that community rights remain properly fulfilled.

After hearing the views of various parties, representatives of the central government, the East Nusa Tenggara Provincial Government, the Rote Ndao Regency Government, and all stakeholders agreed on a number of strategic steps to accelerate the resolution of land acquisition issues.

All processes will be carried out through the applicable mechanisms, stages, and legal provisions so that the construction of the National Salt Industry Centre can be realised promptly.

The construction of the K-SIGN in Rote Ndao Regency is expected to become one of the main drivers of the national salt industry’s downstream development, strengthen efforts to achieve Indonesia’s salt self-sufficiency, and create a new centre of economic growth capable of sustainably improving the welfare of the people of East Nusa Tenggara.

Previously, the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries targeted 2,000 hectares of land for the K-SIGN in Rote Ndao. However, the potential area now reaches 13,000 hectares.

The ministry targets that each hectare could yield 200 tonnes per harvest season, or per year, in Rote Ndao.

Thus, if the full land area can be utilised with maximum harvests, production could reach 350,000 tonnes within the following two years.