Heavy rains cause damage to salt fields in Quynh Luu
The recent heavy rains have caused a series of salt fields in coastal communes of Quynh Luu district, Nghe An province to be flooded and severely damaged, causing losses to salt workers.
In coastal communes such as An Hoa, Tien Thuy, Quynh Nghia - considered the "salt granary" of Quynh Luu district - localized flooding has caused a series of salt fields to be submerged in water, the field surface has been broken, and salt storage warehouses have also been flooded. The white salt fields that are usually seen in the dry season are now only left with patchy, abandoned ground.
Mr. Tran Van Tam, a salt farmer in Tan An hamlet, An Hoa commune, shared: “Since the beginning of the season, the weather has been erratic. We have not been able to harvest salt, and have had to spend effort and money to redevelop the fields. My family lives on 4 sao of salt, and now we are left with nothing.”
Normally, this is the peak season for salt production when the sun is hot and long, the yield is high and brings stable income to the people. However, according to many salt farmers, this year's salt crop is almost "lost" due to continuous rain. Some people compare salt production to "gambling with the sky", when just one unseasonal rain can ruin the entire crystallization process.
During this year’s salt crop, most of the fields suffered at least 4-5 heavy rains. After each rain, all the hard work had to be done again. Each time like that, millions of dong of investment money went down the drain,” said a salt farmer in Tien Thuy commune.
Mr. Ho Anh Dung - Chairman of the People's Committee of An Hoa commune said that the whole commune has about 142 hectares of salt production land. "Every year in the middle of the season, the output reaches about 8,000 tons of salt, but this year it has only reached more than 3,000 tons. Not to mention the very low price of salt, for more than 10 years it has been only around 1,500 VND/kg," Mr. Dung said.
The commune government has mobilized people to urgently overcome the consequences, repair the dam, and flexibly switch to other jobs such as construction workers, masons, etc. to improve their income while waiting for the weather to stabilize.
According to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Dinh - Vice Chairman of Quynh Luu District People's Committee, the whole district has more than 600 hectares of salt production, spread over 9 communes with 12 cooperatives and 1 enterprise. Annual salt output usually reaches from 45,000 to 50,000 tons, with many products such as refined salt, iodized salt, multi-mineral salt reduction salt...
The salt season starts in March and lasts until July of the lunar calendar, which is considered the ideal time for salt production due to the abundant sunshine. However, this year, the unpredictable weather has seriously affected the production process and overall productivity. The district has directed the salt-growing communes to encourage people to proactively repair damage caused by heavy rains that flooded the salt fields.
Salt making is already a difficult job, but now it is even more precarious as it depends entirely on the weather and the market. Salt prices do not increase, output is unstable, while people still cling to the traditional profession left by their ancestors.
