With 18.39 lakh metric tonnes produced in the current fiscal year, salt output in the nation has reached a record high, exceeding the previous record of 18.32 lakh metric tonnes set 61 years ago.
“The total salt production in the current season reached 18.39 lakh metric tonnes with 10,930 metric tonnes produced on April 25, which is a record in 62 years,” said a Bangladesh Small Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) press release on Wednesday.
The release said this year salt was cultivated on 66,424 acres of land while the essential commodity was cultivated on 63,291 acres of land last year. The number of salt farmers has also increased as compared to the previous year, it said, adding that a total of 39,467 farmers cultivated salt this year while the number was 37,231 in the last season.
Noting that the salt is cultivated through 12 centres in all upazilas of Cox's Bazar and Banshkhali Upazila in Chattogram under the BSCIC Salt Industry Development Programme Office, the release said the salt farmers are given training, loans and technical assistances to expand the salt cultivation. It also said this year salt cultivation was started one month prior compared to the last year with an aim of achieving self sufficiency in salt cultivation.
The BSCIC has however taken short-term (one year), midterm (one to five years) and long-term (above five years) action plan to achieve the target, the release added.