Country's salt producers and industry insiders opine that salt production may hit the level of the quantity of total demand as the industry sees record production during the current season.
Production of Salt has already exceeded all the previous records in the last 63 years as a total of 22 lakh 34 thousand 658 MTs of salt has been produced in the current season till April 28, 2024.
Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) data suggests in the last 62 years, the highest record of salt production was 22 lakh 32 thousand 890 MT in the fiscal year 2022-23.
The country has a total demand of around 26 lakhs MTs of Salt while including industrial Salt the demand is around 32 Lakh MTs.
Sector insiders say, side by side BSCIC's initiative to boost salt production, the production has increased this year naturally because of excessive heat during the season.
President of Bangladesh Salt Mill Owner’s Association Nurul Kabir told Bangladesh Post that the demand of Salt is increasing in the country every year as-usually because the demands in industries like fish feed, poultry feeds, processed foods etc. is increasing.
Kabir said this year production is high and this will help reducing illegal import of Salt. In the current salt season, the total area of land under salt cultivation is 68 thousand 357 acres, which was 66 thousand 424 acres in last year. Compared to last year, this year the land of salt farming has increased by 1 thousand 933 acres. Number of salt farmers has also increased by 1,228 comparing to last year as the number was 39 thousand 467 last year but this year a total of 40 thousand 695 farmers were engaged in salt production.
Currently the average price of crude salt per maund at the field level is Tk 312, which was Tk 420 last year. Currently salt production is going on and likely to continue until mid-May. If the weather is favourable it will be possible to produce salt as per the target and demand. According to the National Salt Policy, 2022, Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation is supervising the salt industry under the guidance of the Ministry of Industries.
The Salt Industry Development Program Office of BSCIC in Cox's Bazar provides training, required loans, and technology support to salt farmers in all upazilas of Cox's Bazar and Banshkhali of Chattogram through its 12 salt centres.
From the beginning of the salt season, according to the work plan scheduled by BSCIC, the salt farmers are encouraged and trained in advanced salt cultivation in modern methods.
Identifying new areas for salt cultivation and expansion of cultivation areas, arranging loan facilities for salt farmers in easy way, determining strategies to increase salt production in per acre of land are the issues need to be emphasized.
"The issues like determination of leasing price of salt cultivation land, conservation of salt cultivation land, demonstration of modern method of salt production and quality of produced salt, providing technical assistance in regulation should also be paid with due heeds ".
Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman visited the salt field in Choufaldandi area of Cox's Bazar district on February 11, 1975 with the aim of developing the salt industry and exchanged views with the salt farmers.
In view to preserve the memory of the Father of the Nation and to achieve self-sufficiency in salt production in the country, an initiative has been taken to set up a research institute named 'Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Salt Research Institute' at the memorial site of Bangabandhu.
