For Bac Lieu salt farmers to "live" with salt grains: The story of prices (Part 1)

Since the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognized Bac Lieu salt production as a protected heritage, the attention of leaders at all levels towards the salt industry has improved. Many programs and projects have been launched to revive the salt industry, and the salt production area has begun to increase again. However, in order for salt farmers to "live" with salt, the value of salt must continue to be enhanced, and there must be a sustainable domestic and international consumption market... The People's Committee of Dong Nai province has just issued Decision No. 26/2025/QD-UBND dated March 19, 2025 stipulating the conditions, contents, and preferential loan levels to implement a number of lending activities under the National Target Program in the province. On the morning of March 23, at March 23 Square, Dong Xoai city, the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council, People's Committee, and Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Binh Phuoc province solemnly held the Ceremony to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of Binh Phuoc province (March 23, 1975 - March 23, 2025) and receive the First Class Labor Medal. On March 23, the People's Committee of Quang Nam province held the Technical Opening Ceremony of Song Thu Bridge and An Binh Bridge on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of Quang Nam (March 24, 1975 - March 24, 2025) and the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Provincial Party Committee (March 28, 1930 - March 28, 2025). The People's Council of Quang Ngai province has just approved a policy to support Lao students studying at colleges and universities or participating in training courses in the province. More precisely, one session. But the government, businesses and people of Song Cong city have shown a professional, polite and gallant way of doing tourism. That is also the result that does not need to be explained for the potential tourist areas that are blooming in the area. Since the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognized Bac Lieu salt production as a protected heritage profession, the attention of leaders at all levels to the salt profession has been better. Many programs and projects to revive the salt profession, the salt production area has begun to increase again. However, in order for salt farmers to "live" with salt, the value of salt must continue to be enhanced, and there must be a sustainable domestic and international consumption market... Accompanying the Party committees, the government, the Fatherland Front and departments, branches and sectors in all aspects of work, for many years, religions in Da Nang city have actively mobilized followers to join hands to build the city increasingly prosperous. General news of the Ethnic and Development Newspaper. The morning news on March 22, there is the following notable information: Brilliant colors of Na Hang brocade. Masterpiece of a wooden church over 100 years old in Kon Tum. Female cadre devoted to the village. Along with other current news in ethnic minority and mountainous areas. On the evening of March 22, in the city. Quy Nhon (Binh Dinh) held the closing ceremony of the 42nd National Television Festival. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended the closing ceremony and presented awards. Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee has just issued Plan No. 56/KH-UBND dated March 13, 2025 on enrollment in grades 6 and 10 of ethnic boarding schools in the 2025-2026 school year in Dak Lak province. On the afternoon of March 22, in Quy Nhon city, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a meeting with the Standing Committee of Binh Dinh Provincial Party Committee on the socio-economic development situation, disbursement of public investment capital, ensuring national defense and security, social security, directions and key tasks in the coming time. Also attending were leaders of several ministries, branches and localities. In the "Going Home" tour organized by Cuc Phuong National Park, the tourist group from Hanoi participated in the experience and accompanied the functional forces to release 10 rare white pheasants into the natural environment. Determining that digital transformation in the electricity sector is no longer a choice, but a mandatory requirement, is the right strategic direction to create momentum to help businesses develop sustainably in the 4.0 era. In recent years, the Northern Power Corporation (EVNNPC) has continuously enhanced its comprehensive leadership role so that each officer and employee (CBCNV) can proactively change their awareness and habits in implementing digital transformation, constantly strive to learn, cultivate knowledge, increase connectivity, use and apply digital technology in all aspects of operations to serve customers better and better.

Along with shrimp and rice, salt is also one of the famous agricultural products of Bac Lieu, with its formation and development over 100 years. In the past 5 years, when the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognized Bac Lieu's salt production as a heritage profession to be preserved. Since then, the attention of leaders at all levels towards the salt profession has been better. Many programs and projects to revive the salt making profession, the salt production area has begun to increase again.

However, up to now, salt farmers have not been able to get rich from salt. The vicious cycle of good harvest - low price, and good price - bad harvest is like the life cycle of salt - formed from water and then dissolved into foam.

To get good salt, salt workers must stay in the salt fields in the "sun and dew" weather.

Hardship of salt making

Coming to Dong Hai district, Bac Lieu province in March, we saw vast salt fields. The salt season here usually starts from November of the previous year to March of the following lunar year.

Mr. Nguyen Trong Han, Vice Chairman of Dong Hai District People's Committee, said: Dong Hai District is the locality with the largest salt area in Bac Lieu province, with more than 1,300 hectares. In recent years, the weather conditions at the beginning of the year often cause many disadvantages for the salt making industry.

"For generations, salt farmers have had to work hard, even going bankrupt many times, but they have remained loyal to salt. Salt production in Bac Lieu today mainly uses the water drying method, which depends a lot on the weather, so the number of sunny and rainy days in a year is a decisive factor in the output and quality of salt," said Mr. Kiet.

Although the salt making profession has changed a lot today when applying new science and technology combined with mechanization to increase productivity and product quality, basically, to get salt grains, salt farmers have to "sunbathe until their backs burn" in the fields.

Mr. Huynh Van Toan, a salt farmer in Long Dien Dong commune, Dong Hai district, was worried that the salt was already difficult to produce and the harvest had not yet ended, when the traders forced down the price. Although he was upset, he, like many other salt farmers, had to reluctantly sell it to the traders. They shared the same sentiment: sell as much as possible, if they stored it temporarily by covering the rubber trees, it would cause further loss of salt production.

Mr. Toan said that because they do not have enough conditions to invest in warehouses, they have to accept that, for well-off households, they sell their salt right away during the harvest season and put it in warehouses to wait for higher prices to sell. However, the number of investors who have warehouses to store salt here is still very small.

Mr. Toan shared that traffic infrastructure and warehouses are issues that the government really needs to pay attention to in order to develop the salt industry further. With roads and vehicles reaching the fields, we salt farmers can save a lot of money. Everyone here knows that salt fields with convenient transportation routes sell for higher prices than fields deep inside with difficult transportation conditions. "Our people's wish is that the government will step up promotion and call for investment to build salt warehouses locally. At the same time, guide people to produce salt in the form of cooperatives with links from input to output, with price commitments from traders to salt farmers."

Mr. Ho Van Nien shares with reporters about salt making profession

Talking to us, Mr. Ho Van Nien (75 years old), residing in Long Dong commune, Dong Hai district shared: "We salt farmers know nothing but making salt. The salt profession has been deeply rooted in our minds for a long time. There is a paradox that, up to now, the price of every commodity and product has increased over time, such as instant noodles, rice... only the price of salt remains the same. So how can salt farmers get rich?"

“The salt industry in Bac Lieu is a heritage industry that needs to be preserved, so we really need the government to pay more attention. There must be a clear policy on salt prices. This is an essential commodity, so it is necessary for the relevant authorities to meet and discuss, put salt on the list of products with a fixed price under the control of the relevant authorities, or create a chain of links. Only then can we hope to increase the value of salt grains and reduce the hardships of salt farmers’ lives,” Mr. Nien confided.

Barriers from the profession

Mr. Ho Thanh Tuan, Head of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Dong Hai district, said: When Bac Lieu's salt production was recognized as a protected heritage profession, the attention of leaders at all levels towards the salt industry was better. There have been many programs and projects to revive the salt making profession. Since then, the salt industry in Dong Hai has shown signs of development. The salt production area has begun to increase again, and the income of salt farmers has also improved. From 2020 to now, the price of salt is no longer as unstable as before, basically stable.

“The biggest obstacle for the salt industry today is the lack of a synchronous infrastructure network, leading to salt farmers being forced to lower prices by traders. In locations with convenient roads and vehicles, the price of salt is higher than in locations where vehicles cannot reach, and it must be transported by water, going through many stages, so the value is lower,” Mr. Tuan shared.

On the Dong Hai salt fields

With the agreement of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), the People's Committee of Bac Lieu province has approved the Project to improve the value of salt production and processing in the period of 2021 - 2030, including investment in infrastructure for salt production areas.

Component project No. 7 on renovating and upgrading Dong Hai salt fields was approved for investment in 2023. The scale of the project and items are to build 5 dike routes combined with 14.7km long roads, 20 concrete bridges and 26 box culverts, with a total investment of 127 billion VND and is being implemented. Of which, 2 routes have been technically opened to traffic, namely Trai So - Linh Ung Pagoda with a total length of 2.56km and Cau Dan Quan - Pumping Station No. 3 with a total cost of 24.3 billion VND, which was technically opened to traffic on the afternoon of March 6, in the series of events of the Vietnam Salt Festival - Bac Lieu 2025.

However, basically, salt industry infrastructure still needs to be invested more strongly in the coming time to meet development needs.

According to the report of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment announced at the conference to review the implementation of Decree No. 40/2017/ND-CP of the Government on salt production and trading management, which took place on March 7, the average income of salt workers is 40 million VND/person/year, equal to 70% of the average income per capita of the whole country.

Through practical research, salt farmers sell black salt for only 900 VND/kg, and salt spread on canvas is only 1,200 VND/kg at most. With low prices, salt farmers cannot have a better life from salt grains.

Chairman of Bac Lieu Provincial People's Committee Pham Van Thieu emphasized that with nearly 1,600 hectares, mainly concentrated in Dong Hai district and part of Hoa Binh district, Bac Lieu is one of the provinces with the largest salt production area in the country, with an annual output of nearly 80,000 tons/year. With the difficulties of the salt industry, it requires attention and investment from all levels and sectors to support the industry towards diversifying products, not only for eating salt, but also for beauty, medicinal salt, salt for industrial production, etc.

At this time, the biggest concern of those working in management is probably to continue to promote the implementation of existing policies; at the same time, it requires further research on policies to increase the value of salt grains. Because, for salt grains to reach far, first of all, salt farmers must make a good living from their profession...

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Source: https://baodantoc.vn/de-diem-dan-bac-lieu-song-duoc-voi-hat-muoi-cau-chuyen-ve-gia-ca-bai-1-1742555028712.htm