As winter approaches, salt farmers across Cox’s Bazar are preparing for another production season. Known as the region’s “white gold,” salt supports coastal livelihoods and supplies essential raw material to industries nationwide. According to the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC), cultivation covers approximately 67,757 acres across Cox’s Bazar and parts of Banshkhali in Chattogram. Around 40,000 farmers work directly in the fields, while hundreds of thousands more depend on related activities.
Yet this substantial coastal economy faces mounting pressure from unpredictable weather, rising costs, distorted markets and disappearing farmland. BSCIC figures show that production in the 2025–26 season reached roughly 1.945 million tonnes against a target of 2.715 million tonnes, a shortfall of about 770,000 tonnes. Adverse weather reportedly disrupted production for 36 days.
Salt harvesting requires sunshine and dry conditions. Persistent fog, cloud cover and unseasonal rainfall slow evaporation or dissolve salt awaiting collection. Meanwhile, higher costs for diesel, polythene sheets, land leases and labour leave growers increasingly exposed.
The deeper injustice lies in pricing. A 2025 report put production costs at Tk 321 per maund, against a selling price of just Tk 247—a loss of Tk 74. Farmers shoulder the risks, yet middlemen and powerful traders exert disproportionate influence over prices. Without fair returns, even a productive season may offer little security.
Land loss presents another threat. Reports indicate that major development projects have displaced around 4,000 acres of salt-producing land in Maheshkhali. Infrastructure matters, but development that erodes productive land without protecting livelihoods raises serious questions about long-term sustainability.
The consequences extend beyond the coast. Salt is used in food processing, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and leather preservation. A recommendation to import 150,000 tonnes of raw salt amid supply concerns illustrates the danger of weakening domestic production and increasing dependence on overseas suppliers.
Bangladesh needs a coordinated national salt-industry strategy. Authorities should establish an enforceable minimum farm-gate price based on production costs, curb market manipulation and ensure affordable seasonal credit and subsidised polythene. Better forecasting, modern production and refining methods, and cooperative storage facilities or “salt banks” would help farmers protect their harvests and negotiate fairer prices. Productive salt land also requires safeguards against indiscriminate conversion.
Cox’s Bazar’s white gold is more than a coastal tradition: it underpins livelihoods and industrial resilience. Weather cannot be controlled, but exploitation and administrative neglect can be challenged. Protecting this industry requires not another promise, but decisive policy, accountable implementation and the political will to put producers first.
By Salam Abu
Editor
