Salt import sends alarm to Ctg, Cox's Bazar farmers
Sunday, 23 August 2009
Our Correspondent
CHITTAGONG, Aug 22: The local salt producers cannot enjoy the fruits of their good harvest as import of about 40,000 metric tonnes (MT) of salt has sent alarm to the farmers in the region.
Sources in Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) said the farmers in Cox's Bazar and Chittagong region had produced 1.356 million (13.56 lakh) MT of salt in the last season. Due to good harvest, the price of unrefined salt at the production level came down sharply. As a result, the farmers did not get reasonable price of their product, salt miller Harunur Rashid said.
The farmers stored a good quantity of salt in shallow salt bed for sale in the off-season between August and October this year, he added. Generally, salt production season falls in November.
Meanwhile, two ships loaded with 39,250 MT of refined salt had reached Chittagong port. One ship was carrying 24,800 MT of salt while the other one 14,450 MT. Besides, import of more salt is in the pipeline.
Engineer Harunor Rashid Bhuiyan, regional director of BSCIC in Chittagong said, local farmers had produced 1.356 million (13.56 lakh) MT of salt against the country's demand for 1.320 million (13.20 lakh) MT for both human and industrial consumptions. Industries minister Dilip Barua recently visited the salt projects in Cox's Bazar and expressed his satisfaction over self-sufficiency of salt in the country.
When contacted, MN Kabir, senior vice president of salt mill owners' association and a member of importers' association, told the FE that there is no embargo on salt import. The embargo imposed in 1987 was lifted by the caretaker government in last December, which was effective from January 2009 with enforcement of high import duties.
The local producers should not be affected by import of salt. Basically the fruit of local farmers is being eaten up by lease owners-cum-landlord of the salt bed. The owners, without producing salt themselves, are leasing their lands at Tk 37,000 per acre, which increases the cost of production overwhelmingly, added MN Kabir.
CHITTAGONG, Aug 22: The local salt producers cannot enjoy the fruits of their good harvest as import of about 40,000 metric tonnes (MT) of salt has sent alarm to the farmers in the region.
Sources in Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) said the farmers in Cox's Bazar and Chittagong region had produced 1.356 million (13.56 lakh) MT of salt in the last season. Due to good harvest, the price of unrefined salt at the production level came down sharply. As a result, the farmers did not get reasonable price of their product, salt miller Harunur Rashid said.
The farmers stored a good quantity of salt in shallow salt bed for sale in the off-season between August and October this year, he added. Generally, salt production season falls in November.
Meanwhile, two ships loaded with 39,250 MT of refined salt had reached Chittagong port. One ship was carrying 24,800 MT of salt while the other one 14,450 MT. Besides, import of more salt is in the pipeline.
Engineer Harunor Rashid Bhuiyan, regional director of BSCIC in Chittagong said, local farmers had produced 1.356 million (13.56 lakh) MT of salt against the country's demand for 1.320 million (13.20 lakh) MT for both human and industrial consumptions. Industries minister Dilip Barua recently visited the salt projects in Cox's Bazar and expressed his satisfaction over self-sufficiency of salt in the country.
When contacted, MN Kabir, senior vice president of salt mill owners' association and a member of importers' association, told the FE that there is no embargo on salt import. The embargo imposed in 1987 was lifted by the caretaker government in last December, which was effective from January 2009 with enforcement of high import duties.
The local producers should not be affected by import of salt. Basically the fruit of local farmers is being eaten up by lease owners-cum-landlord of the salt bed. The owners, without producing salt themselves, are leasing their lands at Tk 37,000 per acre, which increases the cost of production overwhelmingly, added MN Kabir.