SUKANTA HALDAR and MD ASADUZ ZAMAN

Salt production reached a 61-year high this fiscal year thanks to the conducive environment, allowing farmers to eye more profit amid good market prices.

Although the salt harvesting season has not ended yet, crude salt production reached 18.30 lakh tonnes this year, according to the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC).

The commercial production of salt in Cox’s Bazar began in 1960. In the last one decade, the record amount of salt production was 18. 24 lakh tonnes in fiscal 2018-19.

BSCIC chairman Md Mahbubor Rahman told The Daily Star that the annual demand for salt in the country is now 23.35 lakh tonnes.

“There will be no need to import salt in the next fiscal year as we have reached a record amount of salt cultivation,” he said.

“We are pleased with the record production. We will try to be more responsible to take this industry forward. Since we have reached record production, we must work better,” Rahman added.

Compared to previous fiscal years, total salt cultivation has increased by 8,637 acres in the current year while the number of salt farmers has reached 37,231 increased by 9,534, according to BSCIC field survey data.

Salt cultivation in the current season is not yet over. Salt is now being produced in Maheshkhali, Kutubdia, Teknaf, Pekua, and Chakaria upazilas along with Cox’s Bazar.

And this time salt cultivation has increased with polythene technology, according to the BSCIC.

BSCIC sources said, Zakia Sultana, industries ministry secretary, visited different places in Cox’s Bazar in early February this year to see the real situation, when the BSCIC chairman also went there.

They then formed two committees for regularly monitoring salt production.

However, marginal salt farmers are coming back to the salt lands and expressed pleasures due to the good price. In the current financial year, salt is being sold at Tk 280 to Tk 300 per maund. In the last fiscal year, it was Tk 200-220 per maund.

Shahjahan Munir, a salt farmer from Chowfaldandi union in Cox’s Bazar sadar upazila, said he cultivated salt on four acres of land this year.

“I am pleased with the current year’s price, which is approximately Tk 80-100 higher per maund than the previous year,” he said.

The amount of salt produced so far this year shows that the country does not need to import the product anymore.

“Even so, if imported, the demand for our salt production will fall, we will be hampered,” he added.

Echoing the same, Aurangzeb Matbar, a salt farmer from Kaiyarbil union in Kutubdia upazila of Cox’s Bazar, said: “We feel pleased even though our life was disrupted in the scorching heat as we can sell salt at a higher price than before.”

“I have cultivated salt on 6 acres of land. I’ve got one and a half times more salt compared to last year using the same amount of land,” he added.

However, Matbar echoed Munir’s thoughts about imports.

“If the government does import salt this year, we will have to face losses commercially,” said Matbar.

HM Shahid Ullah, president of the Bangladesh Salt Farmers Association, said they are not getting enough prices compared to the increase in the cost of living.

“Now we are selling salt at TK 300 per maund. It was Tk 200 last year,” he said.

“However, due to the non-import of salt from abroad as declared, we [farmers] are getting a place to sell the salt so far. This is a good thing for our farmers,” Ullah said.