BUSINESS INFORMATION - Governor of Sulawesi Tenggara (Southeast Sulawesi) Nur Alam said the Buton asphalt

BUSINESS INFORMATION - Governor of Sulawesi Tenggara (Southeast Sulawesi) Nur Alam said the Buton asphalt able to save at least until the state budget funds Rp3 trillion a year if its potential can be best utilized.

"The potential on the island of Buton asphalt estimated to reach 600 million tons while the national asphalt needs 1.2 million tons per year, so if you use optimized Buton asphalt to cover the needs of national asphalt for 500 years," he said in Kendari, Sunday.


1.2 million tons of national needs, half of the imports because domestic production is insufficient despite the potential there, because it is not supported by adequate technology to process them.

"The quality of liquid asphalt was produced Buton with liquid asphalt quality imports," explained the governor in a dialogue with environmental activists in Kendari.

Governor said that the import data in a three-year note was steady asphalt imports increase with the value of each Rp5, 6 trillion in 2007, then rose to Rp6 trillion in 2008, and rose again to Rp6, 2 trillion in 2009.

If the Buton asphalt production can be maximized, said Nur Alam, will be able to cover import requirements that amounted to 600 thousand tons are thus in the form of foreign exchange could save the state budget.

"Do not be too much to replace all imports. Suppose that half of it can replace, it could save Rp3 trillion national budget," added the governor.

The government through PT Pertamina has made a commitment to stop the import of liquid asphalt in 2010 and replaced by optimizing the Buton asphalt production.

Termination of this liquid asphalt imports caused a very limited number in the world market leading to price increases. In the last year of liquid asphalt price reaches 540 U.S. dollars or equivalent to Rp 5, 4 million per ton, while the Buton asphalt ranged only 250 U.S. dollars or USD 2.5 million per ton.

Currently, Buton asphalt production only contributes about 1.46 percent of the total national asphalt needs. In 2008, Buton asphalt production reached only 17,500 tons from 1.2 million tons of national demand.