Salt producers fear craft is drying up
ANFEH, Lebanon — At 93, Elias al-Najjar has spent half a century harvesting salt by hand from ponds on Lebanon’s Mediterranean shore, but he and his colleagues fear their way of life is dying.
Traditional coastal salt production was once popular in Lebanon, but the artisanal practice now survives in just a single seaside town, Anfeh, around 70 kilometers north of Beirut.
Producers like Najjar say the sector has weathered a series of blows, from an exodus of pond owners during Lebanon’s civil war to the lifting of import tariffs.
“I used to produce 300 tons myself in the 1950s,” he said. “Now I make 30 tons, maximum.”
Anfeh’s salt producers accuse the government of refusing them permits to repair their equipment in order to turf them off prime coastal real estate and make way for developers.
“If they can’t destroy the ponds, they want to make them unworkable so it’s easier for fat cats to buy them to build resorts,” said Hafez Jreij, 67.
“The land the ponds are on is going to be handed over to developers who want to build beach resorts.”
The municipality confirmed the central government is not giving any more permits.
But municipal representative Christiane Nicolas said the local council has no desire to destroy the sector.
“The government stopped collecting taxes on traditional salt production because it considered it an infringement on public property,” she said.
“There’s no evidence the authorities want to hand over the coast to developers.”
Seasonal process
Salt extraction is a timeconsuming process subject to the vagaries of weather, meaning it can only be practiced around four months a year.
First, seawater is drawn into meter-deep concrete ponds via pumps powered by small windmills.
The water sits in the ponds of up to 20 square meters for at least 20 days, evaporating to leave a salty liquid residue.
That salty water is then swept into shallower concrete pans, and left to concentrate further for another 10 days.
Each day, producers sweep the seawater across the pans to ensure they dry evenly.
As the liquid disappears, blindingly white salt crystals emerge in lines, twinkling in the sunlight.
Jreij says Lebanon’s traditional salt industry produced 50,000 tons a year during the sector’s heyday from 1955-75.
Fisherman Daniel Fares, 37, said he is a loyal customer of Jreij because the entire production process is transparent.
“The sea is clean, and you know where the salt is coming from,” said Fares, who also sells some of Jreij’s salt to his own customers for home use.
“I prefer it over imported salt because it has no additives, which makes it suitable for pickling sardines too.”