REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said Indonesia has 22,000 hectares of potential locations for salt farming.

Part of the farms have been productive, but unfortunately, the salt quality is not up to standard on the use of poor technology, Luhut said.

"We have taken inventory. We have 22,000 hectares of lands that could be used for salt farming. Salt has been produced in part of the lands but with traditional system of farming. The salt purity might not be more than 80 percent not up to an ideal level of 94-97 percent," he said here on Monday.

Luhut said the 22,000 hectares of lands are found in various areas all over the country mainly in East Nusa Tenggara, which alone has around 15,000 hectares; Java, Madura and Jeneponto of South Sulawesi.

He said, the Technology Application and Study Body (BPPT) already has the technology to increase and improve salt productivity and quality, adding the government hopes that the technology could be applied immediately.

The government and state-owned salt producer PT Garam would prepare a program to develop and implement program to improve salt productivity.

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Luhut said development of the 22,000 hectares would be carried out at the same time with modernization of salt farming industry.

He said eastern Indonesia would be given the priority in the program as the quality of sea waters is superior compared with the sea water in Java. He said the sea water of Java have been badly contaminated.

"Salt farmers would be grouped in cooperatives for efficiency and separate company would be established involving PT Garam and farmers as shareholders," hes aid.

Minister for Agrarian and Layout/head of the National Land Office Sofyan Djalil said salt productivity could be improved by involving the farmers in salt production under partnership of nucleus-Plasma.

"Such scheme has been progressing in the village of Bipolo, regency of Kupang in East Nusa Tenggara in which PT Garam prepared 400 hectares of lands. That system proved to be successful in increasing productivity," Sofyan Djalil said.

The government under the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs is seeking to expand salt farms , hoping to cope with the scarcity of salt supply in various areas in the country and reduce dependence on imports for that commodity.

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