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PGGS told to turn 3,700 ha idle land into salt farm: Minister
The government is to issue an order to a company controling 3,700 hectares of idle land in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) to turn the property into a salt production facility, said Agrarian and Spatial Planning Minister Sofyan Djalil said on Monday
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A salt farmer harvests salt from an evaporation pond near the Central Sulawesi provincial capital of Palu. (Antara Photo/Mohamad Hamzah)
T
he government is to issue an order to a company controling 3,700 hectares of idle land in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) to turn the property into a salt production facility, said Agrarian and Spatial Planning Minister Sofyan Djalil said on Monday.
Sofyan said the company, PT Panggung Guna Ganda Semesta (PGGS), held a certificate for the right to cultivate land (HGU) that was issued in 1992 and would expire in three months.
He advised the company to find a partner, such as state-owned salt producer PT Garam or another company interested in investing in the salt industry, within 90 days.
Read also: State salt firm to build Rp 1.8t salt factory in NTT“If Panggung Guna does not find a partner, we will revoke its certificate,” he said, adding that the government encouraged Panggung Guna to establish the partnership under a B2B arrangement.
Recently, the Agrarian and Spatial Planning Ministry authorized PT Garam to turn a 225-hectare plot of land in NTT into a salt farm in cooperation with local framers. PT Garam has so far developed 400 hectares of land in NTT for salt production in partnership with local farmers.
Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said earlier that the government would apply a technology developed by the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) to produce salt on 22,000 hectares of idle land.
In recent weeks, salt has disappeared from the market, forcing the government to import 75,000 tons of the commodity from Australia to temporarily meet domestic demand. Indonesia imported 2 million tons of salt last year. (dis/bbn)
