"With membranization technology (placing plastic layers on salt farmland) the production of state salt company PT Garam will increase at least by 20 percent from the present level of 200,000 tons per annum," the minister said.
He said that membranization technology by placing a plastic layer on salt farmlmand could increase the volume and quality of salt production.
"With the technology salt produced will have better quality and could be harvest earlier because it will have higher temperature," the minister said.
Dahlan said that so far the country`s salt product had bad quality because the first layer of the salt farmland was mixed with soil or mud while salt produced from the second layer smelt like soil.
He said that massive membranization would be conducted in stages on thousand hectares of salt farmland belonging to PT Garam. It would be adjusted to the financial capability of the firm.
The minister said that funds needed to conduct the membranization system could reach Rp20 million per hectare.
Funding could be taken from the state capital participation in PT Garam, he said.
The national need for salt at present per annum reaches 2 million tons while production only reaches 200,000 tons which could be maximized to 500,000 - 600,000 tons at the most.
(Uu.A014/HAJM)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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