Solons express alarm on the ‘dying’ PH salt industry
SOLONS raised the alarm regarding the “dying” salt industry in the country during the hybrid hearing of the Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform on Senate Bill (SB) No. 1334 and 1450, otherwise known as the Philippine Salt Industry Development and Revitalization Act and Senate Resolution No. 211 or the Salt Supply and Importation presided over by Senator Cynthia A. Villar, Wednesday, January 18, 2023.
Villar said the law, instead of promoting the local salt industry, became a “deterrent” in its development as it has “neglected” to develop new areas and invite new investors.
In 2021, it was reported that the salt industry only produced 7% of salt requirements and imported 93% or 550,000 metric tons.
“The Philippines only needs a small percentage of salt for human and animal consumption, but it has other non-food uses. There should be a balance between all these needs, such as for the preservation of fish catch and as fertilizer for our coconut industry,” Villar stated during the hearing.
“We should look at the salt industry as an added income source to fishermen during the dry season and the possibility of exporting Philippine sea salt,” she added.
Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva laments the diminishing salt industry in the country despite having one of the “longest shorelines” in the world that is conducive to salt production.
Villanueva said the country’s salt production importation from neighboring countries with much smaller shorelines.
“Unfortunately, we have not made full use of the resources that we have, and the salt industry has consistently been in decline. It baffles me that the Philippines, an agricultural country with shorelines that stretches for thousands of kilometers, would import 93 percent of our total salt requirements. This is very disheartening,” Villanueva said.
The majority leader also expressed hope that the committee will pass his bill, SB No. 1450, or the Salt Industry Development and Revitalization Act, to help revive the industry and support local businesses.
“We have an enormous untapped and neglected resource that can change the lives of about 60 percent of our population who lives in coastline zones,” Villanueva emphasized.
Sen. Nancy Binay said she favors putting the necessary reform like reducing restrictions on producing other forms of food-grade and industrial salt, and not just iodized salt as required by Republic Act (RA) 8172 to increase overall production of the salt industry.
Binay also suggested that the salt businesses and cooperatives should be linked with the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) to encourage coconut farmers to buy locally-produced salt for their fertilizer needs.
