Salt production in Cox’s Bazar has come to a halt this season due to adverse weather conditions and intermittent rainfall, causing the production activities to end earlier than expected. However, the country has still achieved the second-highest salt production in the last 64 years, with more than 2.25 million metric tons produced.
According to the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) in Cox’s Bazar, salt production began on 69,198 acres of land across Cox’s Bazar Sadar, Teknaf, Ramu, Chakaria, Pekua, Maheshkhali, Eidgaon, and the Banshkhali sub-district of Chattogram. The target was set at 2.61 million metric tons, which could not be met. As of May 17, production reached 2,251,651 metric tons—about 358,349 metric tons below the target. Since May 18, salt production has completely stopped.
From the start of the year, farmers faced repeated obstacles in salt production due to unfavorable weather. Particularly, late April and May saw intermittent rainfall that forced producers to halt operations entirely at times.
Approximately 41,355 small-scale farmers and around 100,000 laborers, along with several hundred thousand others, are directly or indirectly involved in salt production, transportation, and trade in the district. The irregular costs of production and fluctuating sales prices significantly impact their livelihoods.
By Mohammad Morshed
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