Salt Producers’ Association President Ganaka Amarasinghe has called upon the public not to entertain any undue fears of a salt shortage as measures have been taken to stabilise the salt supply chain. Cabinet approval has also been granted to import 30,000 metric tons of non-iodised salt to mitigate the shortage.
The country’s annual salt requirement is around 180,000 metric tons. Of that, 50 percent is supplied by the State sector and the remaining 50 percent is provided by the private sector, according to reliable sources. The country’s anticipated salt production was 200,000 metric tons this year, but it has dropped drastically due to adverse weather.
Nearly 70 percent of salt is produced during the Maha season from July to October every year. However, the recent adverse weather which prevailed in the country has created a big drop in salt production. As a result, the anticipated salt production targets were not met.
Amarasinghe said that from the day the sea water is obtained, there should be at least 45 days of dry weather to produce salt. “There were heavy rains and floods in recent times and we had to face two cyclones in Puttalam. Therefore, the salt harvest dropped drastically.”
When the salt harvesting season was stopped on October 10 this year, the salt producers discussed the issue and concluded that the salt harvest reaped would not be sufficient to cater to the local requirement up to March next year, he said.
Following the request by salt production companies, Cabinet approval has been granted to import 30,000 metric tons of non-iodised salt before January 31, 2025 as a precaution against any anticipated shortage. Salt is being imported for local consumption after 15 years.
Amarasinghe called upon the public not to panic as there are sufficient stocks of salt in the open market. The Government has granted approval to import salt in the event of a shortage. “If the salt stocks are received on time, we are ready to release it to the market. This issue will last for only two months. If dry weather prevails by the end of February or March next year, we could get a salt harvest from our salterns and continue the usual supply,” he added.
