Indonesia Sets 2029 Deadline to End Salt Imports as Rote Ndao Project Expands
Indonesia plans to reduce annual salt imports from a baseline of about 2.6 million tonnes to zero by 2029. The strategy depends on lifting domestic output to 5 million tonnes and developing a Rp2 trillion industrial salt hub in Rote Ndao.
Imports scheduled to fall in stages
Indonesia has set a 2029 deadline to eliminate salt imports, linking the target to a rapid expansion of domestic production. Government Communications Agency head Qodari said annual imports, currently measured against a baseline of about 2.6 million tonnes, are expected to fall to 2 million tonnes in 2026 and 1 million tonnes in 2027 before reaching zero in 2029.
The timetable creates a clear replacement requirement for Indonesian salt producers and industrial users that currently depend on foreign supply. Finance Detik reported that the government wants national production to rise from a baseline of about 1 million tonnes to 2.5 million tonnes in 2026, 3.5 million tonnes in 2027 and 5 million tonnes in 2029. The production target therefore increases fivefold from the stated baseline over the program period.
Rote Ndao becomes the main production hub
A central part of the plan is the development of a National Salt Industry Center, known as KSIGN, in Rote Ndao, East Nusa Tenggara. The planned site covers 2,000 hectares and requires an estimated Rp2 trillion in investment. According to Finance Detik, 616 hectares have already been developed and entered the production stage, with the harvest targeted for November 2026. A further 751 hectares are designated for the second development phase.
The project includes salt ponds and supporting infrastructure such as roads, storage and processing facilities, pumps and other installations. Tribunnews reported that the initial phase uses open salt ponds fitted with geomembrane or high-density polyethylene, known as HDPE. The method is intended to improve both production volume and product quality, two factors that will determine whether local salt can replace imports for a broad range of buyers.
Execution and product quality will determine the outcome
The policy is significant for household consumers as well as processors and industrial salt users. Meeting a national volume target will not by itself guarantee import substitution if locally produced salt does not satisfy the specifications, consistency and delivery requirements of domestic industries. The storage, processing and transport facilities included in KSIGN are therefore as important as the expansion of pond area.
The schedule is demanding. Imports are supposed to decline by about 600,000 tonnes from the baseline in 2026 and then halve to 1 million tonnes in 2027, while domestic production is expected to add 1.5 million tonnes above its baseline in 2026 and another 1 million tonnes in 2027. By 2029, the government expects output of 5 million tonnes to support complete self-sufficiency. Progress at Rote Ndao, including the November 2026 harvest and the development of the remaining land, will provide an early test of whether capacity can grow at the required pace.
