Jokowi said that the volume of asphalt imports has reached almost 5 million tons per year. This despite Buton itself has up to 662 million tons of potential asphalt reserve.
“It’s huge. So if we import 5 million tons a year, it will last around 120 years, and we can produce it here,” he said.
He hopes this great potential can be realized immediately so the community can benefit and Buton can become asphalt-producing hub.
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“The added value is here, taxes are here, royalties are here, dividends are here, employee taxes are all here. So we hope Buton can be known for its asphalt-producing industry, not mining,” he said. (rr)