"The president has already signed it," Nasution remarked here on Friday.
With the issuance of the government regulation, companies are no longer required to obtain a recommendation from the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry to import industrial salt, he remarked.
As such, the Industry Ministry will decide the allocation of industrial salt for certain industries as auxiliary material, he revealed.
"The authority to issue a recommendation on the import of industrial salt now rests with the Industry Ministry," he explained.
He admitted that the revocation of the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry`s authority to issue a recommendation on the import of industrial salt runs counter to Law No. 7 of 2016 on the protection and empowerment of fishermen, fish farmers, and salt farmers.
However, the issuance of the government regulation is aimed at meeting the demand of industries that have put their production on hold due to shortage of industrial salt supplies.
Director General of Foreign Trade of the Trade Ministry Oke Nurwan remarked that the government regulation was necessary following the urgent demand for industrial salt.
Issuance of the government regulation is also in line with Law No. 3 of 2014 on industries that ensures the availability of raw materials for the continuation of their production, he noted.
The government has set an import quota of 3.7 million tons of industrial salt this year to meet the growing demand from petrochemical, pharmaceutical, glass, and food and beverage producers.
Reported by Satyagraha
EDITED BY INE/A014
(T.S012/B/KR-BSR/A014)
Reporter: antara
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
