The cabinet Monday approved the draft ‘National Salt Policy 2011’ aimed at reducing salt import and ensuring employment generation and fair price for the farmers.
A regular meeting of the cabinet, held at the secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, gave the approval to the policy—well in time as there has been a glut of salt produced in the country in the current season.
“The draft policy gave guidelines on enhancement of supply of iodized salt, earmarking land for salt farming and increase in production,” said Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Abul Kalam AzadBriefing journalists after the meeting, the press secretary said the cabinet also discussed the recent devastating tsunami in Japan that wrought havoc on life and property in the country.
“The meeting was informed that Bangladesh stood prepared to send a medical team to Japan,” Abul Kalam Azad said.
Besides, the latest situation of the airlifting of the stranded Bangladeshis from the Libyan border was also discussed at the cabinet meeting.
Meanwhile, salt production hit a record amount of 1.70 million metric tonnes in the last fiscal year, up from 1.3 million metric tonnes in the previous year, according to official sources.
Salt is mostly produced in Chittagong and Cox`s Bazar and is cultured from November to end of May. The current season is at its prime time now.
Around 43,553 farmers were involved in salt farming last year.
There are more than 280 salt mills situated throughout the country, and 267 of them have the Salt Iodizing Plant (SIP) facility provided by BSCIC.
Around 47,000 families are directly involved in the industry and around 2.5 million people depend on this sector, BSCIC official sources said.