Dispute with the sun to 'fight for salt' when purchase price increases

(Baonghean.vn) - Salt farmers in localities in Quynh Luu district (Nghe An) are actively producing salt. The weather is sunny, the salt harvest is good, the price is good, the salt farmers are hard-working but enthusiastic about the salt industry.

Salt farmers in Quynh Luu (Nghe An) are excited because salt prices have increased. Photo: Hong Dien

Entering the main salt production season of 2017, the purchase price increased from 1,600 - 1,700 VND/kg, 30 - 40 thousand VND/quintal higher than last year, so workers rushed to the fields to work, competing with the scorching summer sun.

This special profession, the stronger the sun, the bigger and whiter the salt grains, ensuring productivity and quality.

Although the 39-41 degree Celsius heat outside makes everyone's skin burn, the current price of salt makes everyone happy and forgets their fatigue. Ms. Pham Thi Hue in Tan Thinh village, An Hoa commune shared.

The bigger and more intense the sun, the more beautiful the salt. Photo: Hong Dien

In this main salt production season, many households apply the HDPE tarpaulin spreading technology method. With the advantage of high heat of the tarpaulin, the salt crystallizes quickly, so the productivity increases by 10-15% compared to the conventional salt making method. In particular, the salt product has large, even grains, clean and free of impurities such as sand and lime.

The significant increase in salt prices has encouraged salt farmers to work hard in production. The entire An Hoa commune has 140 hectares of salt production belonging to 3 salt service cooperatives including Tan Thinh, Thang Loi and Tan An. If last year, up to 25% of the salt production area was abandoned, with no people in the fields due to the sharp drop in prices, this year 100% of the area is covered in production.

Many salt fields have been covered with tarpaulins by salt farmers, so salt productivity has increased by over 10%. Photo: Hong Dien

Since the beginning of the year, the whole commune has achieved nearly 11 thousand tons of salt, reaching 60% of the plan, bringing local people an income of 14 billion VND. Currently, the commune is directing salt cooperatives in the area to purchase new salt as well as salt in stock to sell in time when prices are rising, in order to increase income for local people.

Besides An Hoa commune, at this time, salt farmers in Quynh Tho, Quynh Nghia, Quynh Thuan, Quynh Minh communes... are also producing in an urgent atmosphere with the hope of having more salt to supply the market and increasing income after many years of salt prices "hit rock bottom".

» Nghe An: Salt prices increase at the beginning of the production season

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