Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha said that the Vietnam - Bac Lieu Salt Festival 2025 is a milestone for the Government, ministries, sectors, localities and salt farmers to work together to bring salt to the world in the coming time.
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha speaks at the opening ceremony of the Vietnam - Bac Lieu Salt Festival 2025 held on the evening of March 6 - Photo: PHAN THANH CUONG
On the evening of March 6, at Hung Vuong Square (Bac Lieu City, Bac Lieu Province), the opening ceremony of the Vietnam - Bac Lieu Salt Festival 2025 took place, with the theme "100-year journey of salt making - human life". The event was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment in coordination with the People's Committee of Bac Lieu Province, and will last until March 8.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha said the event was also a recognition and honor of the Government, ministries and key salt production localities committed to accompanying people to find new directions, so that salt grains become a product of high economic value, the pride of the Vietnamese people.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the salt industry is currently a livelihood and creates jobs for more than 12,000 salt-producing households in coastal areas of Vietnam. Vietnamese salt products have gradually built up their brands and geographical indications, such as Sa Huynh salt from Quang Ngai province, Ba Ria salt from Ba Ria - Vung Tau province, etc., which are exported to markets in Europe, the US, Japan, and South Korea, and have built a fairly sustainable distribution channel.
In which Bac Lieu is the salt capital of Vietnam with more than 1,400 hectares, annual output up to tens of thousands of tons.
However, he assessed that besides the great advantages, he also frankly acknowledged that the Vietnamese salt industry is facing many challenges.
First of all, climate change makes the weather increasingly unpredictable, affecting the output and infrastructure of the salt industry; there is still too little connection between businesses and salt farmers to increase the value of salt grains;
Human power still replaces machinery, just one rain can make the salt farmers' efforts go down the drain; the profits are still very low, so the salt farmers' income is much lower than the national average income...
Deputy Prime Minister proposed It is necessary to immediately review and develop salt areas in places with favorable natural conditions in the direction of large-scale concentration, forming industrial salt production areas, linking production with processing, recovering post-salt products, applying circular economy; diversifying salt products in localities such as Bac Lieu, Ben Tre, Ninh Thuan, Khanh Hoa, Nghe An, Thai Binh...
The Ministry of Industry and Trade needs to take the lead and coordinate with ministries, sectors and localities to continue promoting industries using raw materials from salt such as food processing, healthcare, chemical industry, gradually reducing imports and moving towards exporting natural sea salt products containing many minerals beneficial to health and promoting currently produced natural biological salt products.
Create conditions for organizations and households to develop OCOP products for salt and salt products locally, promote trade of salt and post-salt products.
Developing experiential tourism products associated with agricultural and salt production, salt fields are not only production sites but also cultural and tourist assets. It is necessary to build salt village tours for tourists to visit, thereby creating more income for the people.
Focus on supporting livelihoods and improving the lives of salt farmers. The Government will direct ministries, branches and localities to continue to have policies to support capital, vocational training, insurance and reduce risks for salt farmers.
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha requested to focus on supporting livelihoods and improving the lives of salt farmers in the coming time - Photo: PHAN THANH CUONG
According to him, for the agricultural sector in general and the salt industry in particular, there should be separate financial policies to support people and a risk insurance fund; there should be policies to support the application of science and technology, and support linkages.
"I hope that businesses and cooperatives will join hands to create a chain from production to processing, increase value, and extend the value chain of product consumption so that people no longer have to worry about good harvests and low prices, or the bitterness of sweat.
The Vietnam - Bac Lieu Salt Festival 2025 is a milestone moment for the Government, ministries, sectors, localities and salt farmers to work together to bring salt far and wide, so that the salt industry is not only a heritage but also a basis for economic and cultural development, so that the salt industry accompanies the country into a new era," the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.
Bac Lieu Chairman Pham Van Thieu writes a poem "opening his heart" about salt grains
Meanwhile, speaking at the opening ceremony of the Vietnam - Bac Lieu Salt Festival 2025, Chairman of Bac Lieu Provincial People's Committee Pham Van Thieu expressed "on this important event, I would like to share my feelings about salt grains through a few verses of poetry:
Salt, salt is so wonderful
Because salt and I are together for life
No matter how salty the salt is
My love for salt will never change
How to get rid of salt?
To make the salt industry successful forever
Even if the river dries up and the rocks wear away
Then I will be loyal to you forever."
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/pho-thu-tuong-tran-hong-ha-phai-hinh-thanh-nhung-vung-muoi-that-lon-san-xuat-cong-nghiep-2025030622194911.htm
Comment (0)