Pangasinan welcomes new salt law

LINGAYEN: The provincial government of Pangasinan on Monday, March 18, lauded the signing of Republic Act 11985, also known as the “Philippine Salt Industry Development Act.”

Pangasinan’s local leaders said that the new law will give more opportunities to Pangasinan salt farmers and fishermen.

“It will also mean better revenue and better lives for them,” said Vice Gov. Mark Ronald Lambino.

Under the new law, a “Salt Council” chaired by the Department

of Agriculture (DA) will be created to set the direction and accelerate the modernization and industrialization of the Philippine salt industry.

The DA is also mandated to encourage salt farming and expand the number of salt-producing areas; ensure the sustainable production, management and harvesting, and soil and water conservation process in salt farming areas, among others.

Since last year, the provincial government had been operating a 473-hectare salt farm in Bolinao town after it signed an agreement with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for the “interim” management of the farm.

The farm has so far produced more than 3,000 metric tons of salt since its first harvest in December 2023, said Nestor Batalla, assistant provincial agriculturist.

Lambino said that even before the new law was passed, the provincial government had started helping salt farmers in Pangasinan by modernizing the equipment they were using, and supporting them in marketing and sales.

Pangasinan is the country’s leading salt producer, followed by Bulacan, Occidental Mindoro, and Cavite.

In 2021, the province produced 64,156 MT from its 1,432.4-hectare salt farms located in the towns of Bolinao, Bani, Anda, Dasol, Infanta, San Fabian, and Mangaldan, and Alaminos City.

Westly Rosario, former chief of the National Integrated Fisheries

Technology Development Center, a research arm of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, said that the new law is no longer restrictive.

“You can now sell your product even if it’s not iodized,” Rosario said.

The new law says that locally produced salt shall not be automatically categorized as foodgrade and may not be iodized.

“Iodization of artisanal and non-food grade salt and salt intended for export is hereby rendered optional in the country. The use of artisanal salt by food manufacturers and food establishments shall be allowed,” the law reads.

Rosario said that the new provision will give an added livelihood to small fishermen by using food grade or high-density polyethylene plastic liner.

“Anywhere, they can now produce solar salt and sell it,” Rosario said.

He said the low-technology, low-cost system produced clean solar salt every seven days.

“You don’t need hectares of land or ponds to go into the business of salt making. You just need a small space where to put the 2 metersby-15-meters salt beds lined with the plastic sheets,” Rosario said.