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‘Stop importing toxic salt, save local industry’


Bangladeshpost
Published : 22 Jul 2019 08:27 PM | Updated : 06 Sep 2020 12:04 PM

Staff Correspondent

Country’s salt industry owners on Monday demanded that import of toxic sodium sulphate under the guise of salt be banned considering health risks and saving the local industry. Leaders of ‘Bangladesh Labon Mill Malik Samity’ (Bangladesh Salt Factory Owners’ Association) raised the demand at a press conference at the National Press Club.

They further said that there is enough locally produced salt in the country to meet the demand of preserving raw hides during the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha.
The local slat producers alleged against the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) provides wrong information about the production and demand of salt. Time has come to unmask the concerned government agencies who patronize the dishonest traders to import toxic sodium sulphate under the guise of salt, they added.

President of the Samity Nurul Kabir said that currently there is no reason for increasing the price of salt ahead of the Eid ul Azha. The price of the sack of 75 KG salt will not cross Tk 700. The country needs additional 2.50 lakh metric tons of salt to process the leather of the sacrificial animals during the Eid-ul-Azha.
“We have sent application to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urging her to save the industry. We have also informed the Industries and Commerce Ministry and the chairman of BSCIC to resolve the crisis promptly. But no step is yet to be taken”, Kabir added.

Salt factory owners said the industrial sector needs some 9 lac metric tons of bonded salt and caustic soda annually. On the other hand, according to the BSCIC, the industrial sector is utilizing 4 lac tons of salt. In this calculation, the deficit of the salt is 5 lac metric tons. Such misleading information creates confusion and concern among the local stakeholders of the salt industry, they continued.

They salt producers underscored the need for accurate data for saving the country’s salt industry. Some 60 thousand hectors of land were utilizing for salt production. The government has acquired some 15 thousand hectors of land from there for power generation as well as developing infrastructure in the recent years resulting lower salt production in the country.

The BSCIC ignores the estimation and provides inappropriate data. As a result, some 5 lac metric tons of salt are entering in the country through illegal channel, they alleged. Nurul Kabir further alleged that the vested quarters are importing almost 5 lakh tons of toxic salt (soda) and sodium sulfate using the misinformation of the BSCIC. He urged the authorities concerned to stop such illegal import of soda to save the salt producers.

Some 300 salt owners have lost their market for such illegal import of toxic salt, Kabir added.He again urged the Prime Minister to resolve the problem for the sake of saving the local salt industry of the country.