Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)– Salt producers in Cox’s Bazar has demanded a ban on ‘unnecessary’ salt import from India and Burma, officially known as Myanmar to protect the sector.
They have also urged the government for taking effective measures to monitor the whole process from production salt to its marketing to reach the salt to retailers at lower price.
The Salt Farmers’ Association of Cox’s Bazar put the demands at a press conference at the National Press Club in Dhaka on Saturday.
The association’s President HM Shahidullah Chowdhury said that the government was allowing a vested quarter to import salt in the name of safeguard measures which has become a threat to local salt farmers.
He said if there were a close government monitoring of production of salt and its marketing, the people could get the salt for BDT 8 to BDT 10 a kilogram.
Salt production was 1.74 million tons during 2009-2010 against its aggregated local demand for 1.33 million tones, according to the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation statistics.
BBN/SSR/AD-16Jan11-4:05 pm (BST)
