JAKARTA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia aims to achieve salt self-sufficiency by 2027, with the government rolling out a series of programs to boost national salt production capacity, the Ministry of Marine and Fisheries Affairs said at a parliamentary hearing on Tuesday.

Deputy Minister Didit Herdiawan reported that domestic demand for raw salt in 2024 and 2025 is expected to reach 4.9 million tons, rising by about 2.5 percent annually in line with population and industrial growth.

For this year, domestic salt production is targeted at 2.25 million tons. Together with existing stocks of 836,000 tons, local supply is projected to meet around 63 percent of national demand, he added.

To close the gap and achieve full self-sufficiency, the ministry has launched a 13,000-hectare salt pond project in Rote Ndao, East Nusa Tenggara province, aiming to raise production to 2.6 million tons. Improvements to existing salt ponds are also planned, with an expected increase in output of up to 30 percent, Director General of Marine Spatial Management Koswara told lawmakers.

According to Koswara, Indonesia has already achieved self-sufficiency in salt for household consumption, but still depends on imports for industrial needs.■