New salt policy aims to encourage eco-friendly production
The government has framed a fresh policy to increase domestic salt production through the use of modern and environment-friendly technologies and gradually end imports by 2026 when overall demand is projected to reach 25.30 lakh tonnes.
Including 8.76 lakh tonnes of the edible variety, the total demand for salt in fiscal year 2021-22 is estimated to have been 19.38 lakh tonnes, according to National Salt Policy 2022 issued by the industries ministry.
The policy intends to train salt producers and ensure easy loans to increase domestic production of the chemical sodium chloride, an important item for human and animal health.
The latest policy replaces a previous one framed in 2016, which also had a number of objectives.
But HM Shahid Ullah, president of Bangladesh Salt Farmers' Association, said the old policy has not been implemented fully.
"But it was not effective. It will be clear how much the new policy will be implemented," he said and added that farmers will benefit a lot if the government helps them use modern technology to produce salt.
The new policy, as of the previous ones, also aims to ensure a minimum 100,000 tonnes of buffer stock of salt.
Shahid said the desire of building a buffer stock to tackle emergency has been limited in paper. It is yet to implement, he said.
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