The price of salt is the highest in the past 10 years

Sa Huynh salt field is known as a famous salt basin in the Central region with an age of up to hundreds of years. In 2011, Sa Huynh salt product was granted a trademark registration certificate by the National Office of Intellectual Property. The salt field here is nearly 110 hectares wide with about 2,400 salt people belonging to 3 residential groups: Tan Diem, Thanh Duc 1 and Long Thanh 1 (Pho Thanh ward, Duc Pho town) attached to salt making.

In recent years, the erratic rise and fall of salt prices and changing weather conditions have made salt production in Sa Huynh difficult. In some years, the price of salt dropped to only a few hundred dong/kg, plus hard work, so many young people left to find other jobs. Those who still cling to the majority are women or are older and have been with the profession for a long time.

This year, the hard work of the salt people here paid off when salt prices hit a record high. Local people said that the peak was at the beginning of June, when traders bought salt in the fields for farmers for up to 2,500 VND/kg, the highest in the past 10 years. Currently, although the price of salt has decreased slightly, compared to the same period last year, it is also 3 to 4 times higher, so salt farmers have good profits.

With a sweaty face and wet back, Ms. Tran Thi Nho (residing in Pho Thanh Ward, Duc Pho Town) said that this year, the price of salt is high, so everyone here is happy. However, compared to previous years, this year's productivity is not equal.

The main reason for the low yield of salt is still weather. Typically, each salt crop of Sa Huynh people will start from March and last until the 8th lunar month. During this time, salt productivity is highest in May and June. However, this year, the weather is not favorable in these two months, so the crop is lost.

“Working as a salt is very hard, every day I have to go to the fields from 7 am. Working hard, having lunch in the field and then working until dusk. This profession is most afraid of the rain. Sometimes the salt has been dried for 2 days, it's about to be harvested, but the rain falls, it can't be saved, no matter how much effort is wasted, you have to do it again next time. Like this year, it rains a lot, can't do it often, so the productivity is not reached. But fortunately, the price is high, so each household also makes a profit of several tens of millions of dong," said Ms.

In the midday sun with the temperature sometimes up to 37 degrees Celsius, in the Sa Huynh salt fields, hundreds of salt people are still busy with the salt fields. Of these, many were hired to collect salt in time for the merchant's car to come and buy it. For each 50kg bag, the person who shovels the salt is paid 2,000 VND, and the person who supports and ties the salt bag is paid 1,000 VND.

Salt prices are high, so people are excited and have good profits. However, until now, salt people in Sa Huynh still could not decide on the price but depended on the merchants to buy. The common problem here is that when the salt is harvested less, the price increases, but when the salt is in season, the output is high, and the salt farmers are forced to price.

“As long as the price of salt is at 30,000 VND/bag of 50kg or less, many people will leave their fields in Ho Chi Minh City to work as hired laborers, to work as hired laborers, and to sell noodles. If the state has a solution to help stabilize output and stabilize salt prices from the beginning of the season to the end of the season, people will feel secure to do business," said Mr. Phung Dinh Hoa (residing in Pho Thanh Ward, Duc Pho Town).

According to Mr. Vo Minh Vuong, Vice Chairman of Duc Pho Town People's Committee, with Sa Huynh salt product, according to the development plan from now to 2025, Duc Pho town sets a goal of salt production reaching 12,000 tons, applying science and technology. study technology in salt production and processing and build a stable salt consumption market network, ensuring profits for salt farmers. Initially, the town piloted a model of salt production associated with rural tourism. By 2030, salt production will reach over 20,000 tons.

“The locality determines the development of the salt industry in the direction of efficiency and sustainability on the basis of taking full advantage of the traditional salt production to improve productivity, quality and diversify salt products in order to meet consumption requirements and create jobs, improve incomes, and stabilize the lives of salt producers," said Mr. Vuong.