Al Amin :
Restriction on industrial salt import and promotion of domestic salt production will discourage mixing of toxic salt with edible salt, experts said.
They also said usage of modern technologies in producing salt from field level will reduce dependence on salt import and increase standard of local salt quality as well.
High production cost has encouraged the businesses to import salt unethically by misusing Import Registration Certificate (IRC), back to back LC and bonded warehouse facilities, they said.
They said the Sodium Salphate, very harmful for human body, in the name of Sodium Chloride is being imported and sold in the local market as edible salt.
The importers are also taking advantage of accurate data about salt deficiency and production from the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC), they said.
Price of locally produced crude salt is around Tk550 per 80 Kg sack whereas Indian crude salt of same amount is around Tk 180-200. On the other hand, at least 50 percent wastage remains in the locally produced crude salt and 25 percent in imported crude salt.
These create uneven price competition in the local market, the salt refiners said.
The BSCIC sources said the country’s overall demand for salt is around 22,17,000 tonnes and the country has usable salt around 20,00,000 tonnes.
However, the officials of the Tariff Commission said over 7.5 tonnes Sodium Chloride in the name of Sodium Sulphate has been imported legally in the current fiscal year.
Besides, a big amount of the Sodium Sulphate enters the country illegal way from Myanmar and India every year.
The salt refiners alleged many fake brands are available in the market since the cost of imported salt is very low compared to local salt due to lower duty.
The fake salt containing improper amount of iodine mainly is selling in rural areas where people are less concern about quality.
Matter of concern is people are consuming those salt brands which are very injurious to human body, they added.
These are industrial grade salt with improper iodine and also mix of harmful chemicals which is very dangerous for human consumption. It will cause life threatening diseases. Most of the salt brands do not have BSTI License.
The officials, however, denied the allegations.
The sector insiders said low quality, unfit for industrial usage, high wastage rate and low import cost have encouraged the traders to import the salt.
Omar Faruque, Vice-President of the Bangladesh Salt Mills Association (BSMA), told The New Nation on Monday, “Production capacity and quality will increase, if we are able to bring modern technologies in producing salt in the country.”
“The use of modern technology will also reduce dependency on import and will protect the country’s salt industry,” Faruque said.
Quamrul Hassan, Business Director of ACI Limited, said, “There is no way but to bring advanced technology in producing salt in the field level. This will increase productivity and will decrease production cost too.”
“Otherwise, it is too difficult to prevent illegal import by enacting law,” he added.
There are over three hundred salt refine companies and 40 to 50 thousand salt producers in the country, according to officials.
