DA moves to boost salt production

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has launched guidelines for a development project aimed at reviving the country’s salt industry.

In a memorandum circular dated Aug. 14, the DA said it would implement the salt industry project in the country’s salt producing areas until year-end.

The project aims to produce excellent quality of salt through process enhancement, improvement of practices on salt production, and product compliance to local and international food safety standards.

“The country needs to increase salt production because salt is a food security issue. Not being able to produce its own local salt will hurt the country’s competitiveness and ability to become a successful agro-industrial economy,” the DA said.

To increase local salt production, the country needs to increase the salt producing areas.

The DA said the government must lead the way in stimulating the salt industry since it has the resources for identification, regulatory approval, construction and partnership.

This can be done by identifying, constructing and preparing the necessary salt-producing areas and make it ready for the private sector to operate them.

The government can also invite “private sector investors to put their working capital, management, local manpower and technological resources to sustain local production, market and distribution,” the agency said.

The DA is looking to implement production intervention programs in existing salt production areas in Region I, VI and IX.

In identifying beneficiaries, the DA will coordinate with provincial fishery offices and local government units (LGU) to profile, assess and shortlist salt producers.