Insiders have called for new salt production strategies with theincreasing preference for Vietnamese handmade sea salt in foreignmarkets, reported the Thoi bao Kinh te Viet Nam (Vietnam Economic Times)newspaper.
Vietnam posted a salt output of 1.3 million tonnes in 2014, about 250,000 tonnes of which were unsellable.
Yet, it imported more than 350,000 tonnes of salt during the year and400,000 tonnes in 2013, given the shortage of refined salt for chemicaland medical purposes, according to relevant agencies.
Vietnam boasts vast potential for salt export, said the Ministry ofAgriculture and Rural Development’s Department of Processing and Tradefor Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Products and Salt Production.
The country shipped abroad over 25,000 tonnes of salt last year,including 800 tonnes to the US and 2,000 tonnes to Japan, the departmentnoted, adding that more and more businesses from the US, Japan, theRepublic of Korea, and Taiwan (China) are buying Vietnamese salt,especially handmade salt hailing from the northern region.
Some US traders said their country’s Food and Drug Administrationrecommended handmade sea salt for daily use over refined salt.
Several scientific studies show that a large number of cancer patientsare deficient in mineral elements like magnesium, calcium, iodine,zinc, and selenium which are found in handmade salt.
The majority of countries in the world manufacture salt by using modernproduction lines which eliminate almost all the above-mentionedelements, making machine-made salt less healthy for consumers.
Le Quang Thang from the State-owned Vietnam Salt Co. Ltd said northernfarmers still extract salt by drying seawater on sand, maintaining over80 chemical elements in salt crystals that other production techniquesare unable to do.
Consumers in Japan, the US and theEuropean Union are increasingly favouring sea salt hailing fromnorthern Vietnam, he added.
Thang urged furthercommunication activities to raise public and business awareness of saltconsumption, citing the fact that many companies import cheap industrialsalt to produce sauces or seasoning, causing mineral shortage forconsumers.
He said importing salt amid the excess ofdomestic products demonstrates policy gaps as there have yet to be anypolices specifically designed for the salt industry.
Other insiders said State agencies should appropriately assess thevalue of handmade salt and design proper development strategies.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Vu Van Tam askedthe salt production department to step up the building of salt brandsand geographical indicators.
It also needs to liaisewith relevant agencies to expand markets for Vietnamese sea salt andinvest in the production chain to utilise the strength of handmade salt.-VNA
Vietnam posted a salt output of 1.3 million tonnes in 2014, about 250,000 tonnes of which were unsellable.
Yet, it imported more than 350,000 tonnes of salt during the year and400,000 tonnes in 2013, given the shortage of refined salt for chemicaland medical purposes, according to relevant agencies.
Vietnam boasts vast potential for salt export, said the Ministry ofAgriculture and Rural Development’s Department of Processing and Tradefor Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Products and Salt Production.
The country shipped abroad over 25,000 tonnes of salt last year,including 800 tonnes to the US and 2,000 tonnes to Japan, the departmentnoted, adding that more and more businesses from the US, Japan, theRepublic of Korea, and Taiwan (China) are buying Vietnamese salt,especially handmade salt hailing from the northern region.
Some US traders said their country’s Food and Drug Administrationrecommended handmade sea salt for daily use over refined salt.
Several scientific studies show that a large number of cancer patientsare deficient in mineral elements like magnesium, calcium, iodine,zinc, and selenium which are found in handmade salt.
The majority of countries in the world manufacture salt by using modernproduction lines which eliminate almost all the above-mentionedelements, making machine-made salt less healthy for consumers.
Le Quang Thang from the State-owned Vietnam Salt Co. Ltd said northernfarmers still extract salt by drying seawater on sand, maintaining over80 chemical elements in salt crystals that other production techniquesare unable to do.
Consumers in Japan, the US and theEuropean Union are increasingly favouring sea salt hailing fromnorthern Vietnam, he added.
Thang urged furthercommunication activities to raise public and business awareness of saltconsumption, citing the fact that many companies import cheap industrialsalt to produce sauces or seasoning, causing mineral shortage forconsumers.
He said importing salt amid the excess ofdomestic products demonstrates policy gaps as there have yet to be anypolices specifically designed for the salt industry.
Other insiders said State agencies should appropriately assess thevalue of handmade salt and design proper development strategies.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Vu Van Tam askedthe salt production department to step up the building of salt brandsand geographical indicators.
It also needs to liaisewith relevant agencies to expand markets for Vietnamese sea salt andinvest in the production chain to utilise the strength of handmade salt.-VNA
