Traditional Kusamba Salt Charms French Tourists With Bali's Age-Old Craft

French tourists Jean Luc and his partner Maria visited the salt farms in Kusamba village, Klungkung regency, where they were drawn to the traditional "palungan" method of salt-making using hollowed coconut trunks. They spoke directly with local salt farmer Nengah Kerta, 63, about the history and process behind the technique. The couple, who had been seeking out traditional salt since traveling through Flores, discovered Kusamba salt through online research. After observing the production process and tasting the salt, they purchased 2 kilograms at 50,000 rupiah per kilogram to take back to France.

While appreciating the craft, Jean noted a lack of directional signage to the salt farms, though he expressed relief that the site had not been heavily commercialized as a mass tourist destination. According to Kerta, foreign tourist visits are not uncommon, but language barriers can be an issue when visitors arrive without a guide.

Kusamba's traditional salt received Geographical Indication (GI) intellectual property certification from Indonesia's Ministry of Law and Human Rights on January 16, 2022, prized for its clean, non-bitter taste and mineral content including calcium, magnesium, and potassium. However, farmers face a market slump for the labor-intensive palungan variety, priced at 30,000-40,000 rupiah per kilogram versus 15,000-25,000 rupiah for the more common membrane-processed salt, prompting many to pause production of the traditional type. Overall harvest volumes this dry season remain strong, farmers say.