"If necessary we stop exports until domestic requirement is fully met."
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - A legislator warned the government to give priority to meeting domestic gas requirement especially to feed the industry over exports.

Shortage in gas supply in the country has become a national problem that has to be solved immediately to shore up the manufacturing industry, Edhy Prabowo of the Commission VI said.

The government needs to address this problem more seriously and guarantee gas supply for domestic industry, Edhy from the minority Gerindra faction said here on Friday.

The government has to regulate allocations of gas supply for domestic consumption and exports, he added.

Sufficient allocations must be set for each industrial consumers such as fertilizer industry and for exports, he said.

"If necessary we stop exports until domestic requirement is fully met," he added.

Shortage in gas supply has hit not only fertilizer industry but also ceramic industry, which has used gas in the process of production, he noted.

Indonesia uses gas as feedstock for urea fertilizer and shortage in gas supply has resulted in the defunct of ASEAN Aceh Fertilizer in Lhokseumawe, Aceh.

The problem faced by fertilizer industry could add to the difficulties in maintaining the country food resilience. ***2*** (

(AS/b003/B003)

(T.SYS/B/H-ASG/B003) 10-08-2012 22:23:21

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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