Salt production has been growing steadily over the years; however, the farmers in the coastal districts of Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar are worried over middlemen’s meddling. The salt mills refine the raw salt and add iodine before selling it either as branded or non-brands items. Wholesalers also enable other uses such as the preservation of rawhide during Eid-ul-Azha. The government and millers’ intervention are required to ensure the profit of the salt farmers.
Demand for salt is estimated to have been 19.38 lakh tonnes in the last fiscal year of 2021-22, including 8.76 lakh tonnes of the edible variety. By 2026, overall demand is projected to reach 25.30 lakh tonnes. The production of the chemical sodium chloride, an important item for human and animal health, through the evaporation of saltwater in large expanses of land mainly runs for five months from November to May. This season, farmers are using 63,291 acres of land in Cox’s Bazar district and Bashkhali upazila of Chattogram. In the ongoing fiscal year, crude salt production stands at around 11 lakh tonnes. Farmers produced 16.5 lakh tonnes of crude salt in FY21.
Salt production has increased by 25 per cent to 30 per cent this year. The production will go up gradually if the weather remains favourable. Farmers in this area have got a bumper production of salt. But prices are very low. That is why many farmers are in fear of incurring losses. Currently, farmers are selling each maund of salt at Tk 210 to Tk 220 but the production cost is higher than that.
To suspend middlemen’s meddling, the government can purchase buffer stocks and fixing of prices by the authorities to ensure a fair share for salt producers and all those involved in the trade. Around 5 lakh people are directly and indirectly involved in the salt industry for its management, transportation and trading.
