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Audit agency suggests government sort out messy salt data
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Supreme Audit Agency chairman Moermahadi Soerja Djanegara speaks to journalists after meeting with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo at the State Palace in Jakarta on April 5. (JP/Anton Hermansyah)
T
he Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) on Thursday suggested that the government improve the data on the country’s salt production, as currently each institution has different data.
"The Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry has its own data, the Trade Ministry has its own data and the Industry Ministry also has its own data. This creates a problem in deciding the salt import quota," BPK chairman Moermahadi Soerja Djanegara said after meeting with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo at the State Palace.
He called on the ministries to synchronize the data. "We want the data from those ministries to become a reference for import permits. Permits will be issued only if the data matches," Moermahadi said.
The salt fiasco started early this year as the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry insisted on allowing only 2.17 million tons of salt imports because the ministry expected salt production of 1.5 million tons this year. Meanwhile, a number of industries complained about salt scarcity.
A coordination meeting led by Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution decided that the country needed 3.7 million tons of salt for industry this year, and the Trade Ministry eventually increased the import quota to 2.37 million tons and allowed 21 companies to carry the imports.
This happened after the government had revoked the authority of the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister and transferred the authority to the Trade Minister by issuing Government Regulation No. 9/2018. (bbn)
