Efficiency of salt production on canvas

(Baonghean) - In recent years, the project "Building a cooperative model and applying technical advances in clean salt production" has been implemented, thereby helping salt farmers have the conditions to produce clean salt and increase the value of the product. At the same time, converting the salt production habits of salt farmers from individuals to cooperatives in groups of households, supporting each other in production and consumption of products; focusing on investment, design, and renovation of salt fields.

Nghe An has a total planned salt field area of ​​793 hectares, of which 110 hectares are for water-dried salt and 683 hectares are for sand-dried salt, mainly concentrated in Dien Chau and Quynh Luu districts. For a long time, most of the salt-making stages have been maintained according to the manual, traditional method: sand drying - filtering - crystallization; degraded infrastructure, not regularly repaired, so productivity and output are not high, low quality due to many impurities, sodium chloride content does not meet industrial standards... Currently, with the support of the National Agricultural Extension Center, Nghe An Agricultural Extension Center has implemented the Project "Building a model of Cooperative Groups and applying technical advances in clean salt production" for 3 years (2011 - 2013) at Van Nam Cooperative, Dien Chau district and Quynh Thuan commune, Quynh Luu district with a scale of 1,500m2 of tarpaulin-covered drying yard with 75 participating households. At the same time, the salt field infrastructure was upgraded: 1,500m2 of salt crystallization yard was repaired and renewed; 75 water tanks; 150 filters; 150 sedimentation tanks, 75 masonry cells were covered with 1,500m2 of 0.5mm thick HDPE tarpaulin, and technical training was organized for 150 people in the model and 120 people outside the model.

Salt farmers harvest salt.

The application of the technical innovation of moving the filter to the middle of the yard has reduced 45 - 50% of labor (because there is no need to use a wheelbarrow to transport sand). The model has achieved good results because it has improved productivity and product quality; salt dried on a tarpaulin yard has a higher productivity than salt dried on a traditional masonry yard by 15 - 20%, because the water dried on a tarpaulin yard absorbs heat better than the traditional crystallization yard, so it dries quickly, increases the amount of water dried and avoids loss during drying. Salt on a tarpaulin yard has pure white grains, is dry and firm, and contains few impurities, while salt produced from a traditional crystallization yard is ivory white, has many impurities, so the selling price is 10 - 15% higher than salt produced on a traditional masonry yard. Salt production on a traditional crystallization yard has an average productivity of 52 tons/ha, with a profit of about 30,000,000 VND/ha; Salt production model on crystallization yard covered with tarpaulin, salt crystallization time is fast, so the average yield is 75 tons/ha. After deducting costs, salt producers have a profit of 50,000,000 VND/ha.

Mr. Hoang Van Bien - Chairman of Van Nam Cooperative, Dien Chau district said: "The initial investment cost of a tarpaulin-covered crystallization yard is a bit high, about 5,000,000 VND/1 drying yard unit, but the usage time is 5 years; meanwhile, traditional crystallization yards must be repaired after each crop, on average every 2 years, the yard must be renewed once. Compared to 5 years, a unit of masonry costs about 9,000,000 VND. In particular, when producing, each square meter of tarpaulin-covered crystallization yard increases the average amount of salt by 0.4 kg compared to a yard without a tarpaulin." With obvious effectiveness, from the initial 3 years of implementing a scale of 1,500 square meters of tarpaulin-covered drying yards, the whole province has now expanded to more than 15,000 square meters of tarpaulin-covered salt drying yards.

Vu Thi Vinh