Target in salt production has been achieved this year in the country, Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun said on Friday. “Salt production exceeded this year’s target for fiscal 2018-19. The production went beyond the target due to the hard work of the salt farmers,” the Minister said at a workshop on ‘salt cultivation and adding iodine’ held at a hotel in Cox’s Bazar district.
He said that the total estimated demand for salt in the country during the last fiscal was 16.57 lakh tonnes and the target was fixed at 18 lakh tonnes. “This year,” the Minister said, “Salt production stood at 18.24 lakh metric tonnes.” Several thousand salt producers are happy seeing record production after the government took up a policy discouraging import of salt.
“There will be no salt deficit or crisis in the country in the future. Apart from the consumers, the tanners (leather business) will get sufficient salt to preserve rawhide of sacrificed animals during the coming Eid-ul-Azha,” the Minister said. State Minister for Industries Kamal Ahmed Majumder said the government has taken various steps to focus on increasing quality salt production through Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC).
“We plan to achieve self-sufficiency in salt production. Meanwhile, a pilot project for salt cultivation in association with Unicef is being implemented,” he said.
In the last three seasons, salt producers faced financial hardship as they did not get a fair price. The target is enough to meet the domestic demand, the Industries Minister informed.
Over 5 lakh people are engaged, directly and indirectly, in producing salt and marketing, including 55,000 marginal salt producers in Cox's Bazar, according to BSCIC. In 2011, the government introduced the National Salt Policy, 2011, which calls for discouraging import of salt. Industries Minister also urged the Deputy Commissioner of Cox’s Bazar to take necessary initiatives and measures for assisting the salt farmers to help them produce more salts to meet the consumers’ demand in the country. “The government is providing all necessary assistance to the salt farmers to ensure smooth production,” he said.
