Indonesia is allowed to import 1.4 million tonnes of salt this year because local supply failed to meet the demand of consumption and production, the Vietnamese Trade Office in Indonesia said.

The office said Indonesia had not yet said which country it would import salt from; however, it was an opportunity for Vietnamese salt businesses to access and expand their market to Indonesia.

The lack of salt was blamed on the heavy rainfall in recent days, which impacted the country’s salt production and harvest.

According to calculations, the reserve volume of salt in Indonesia is 110,000 tonnes. Meanwhile, the market demand in the first six months of this year is estimated at 700,000 tonnes.

To address the shortage, the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) and the Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) proposed that the government import 1.4 million tonnes of salt this year, of which, 226,124 tonnes of salt would be imported in the first quarter of this year.

The Vietnamese Trade Office in Indonesia said GARAM Company (Persero) was assigned to exclusively import salt for the country. The company has asked for a licence and is expected to import salt before May. — VNS