Local salt has lost saltiness

Local salt has lost saltiness

Indonesia is often called an archipelago or a maritime
country. Unfortunately, it is yet to be self-sufficient in salt.

This country sustains a significant deficit of salt. It can
only supply 1.21 million tons of salt or 46.5 percent of the
total demand of 2.6 million tons of salt nationwide.

To cover this short supply, salt is imported from Australia
and India.

With due respect to those devoting themselves to the
production of salt, it is quite proper, at this stage, to
question whether this inability to meet the national demand for
salt is a blessing or a disaster. Salt-making is not difficult,
it has been practiced from one generation to another.

Our inability to be self-sufficient in salt is strong evidence
that we, as a nation, often trifle with daily problems. Haven't
we also failed to be self-supplying in other vital commodities
such as rice, sugar, soybeans, corn and many others staple foods,
not to say high technology products.

In this context, the government in the reform era should
really focus its attention to how this nation can be self-
sufficient in basic commodities.

Among other things, the government should assign all
government agencies and technically relevant institutions to go
all out in making the program of self-sufficiency in daily
necessities a success. Then, the government may proceed with
areas where the mastery of higher technology will be needed.

Unfortunately, it is often reported that cooperation between
government agencies is very weak. Not infrequently do these
agencies involve themselves in counterproductive actions such as
trying to cause rival agencies to fail. Securing projects means
more pocket money for virtually everyone in the government
agencies concerned.

-- Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta