Ba Ria-Vung Tau (VNA) - Saltproducers in the southern coastal province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau have beenbusy with their harvest in recent days thanks to the good weather around Tet(Lunar New Year).

They are happy because prices are steady at 1,100-1,200VND (0.04-0.05 VND) per kilogramme.

Just after the Lunar New Year early this monthsalt fields in Long Dien district’s An Ngai commune, the largest in theprovince at a combined 350ha, were crowded with harvesting farmers.

Huynh Van Thuyet, a local salt producer, was happythat this year he could harvest thrice with the three-hectare field yieldingmore than 35 tonnes the last time compared to just 20 tonnes the previous time.

In previous years lesser sunshine meant theharvest would go on for 13-15 days or even longer, but this season, because ofthe large number of hours of sunshine, it took only eight to 12 days to producesalt of good quality, he said.  

Nguyen Van Gia, another farmer in An Ngai, said heused plastic sheets to cover his four-hectare field and harvested more than 30tonnes on two occasions.

He has one more hectare of salt field, which hehas yet to harvest.  The constant wind contributed to harvestingearly this year, he said.

Salt from previous harvests had been sold outsince prices had been steady, and so the production this season was being fullyconsumed in the market, he said.

In other salt fields in ward 12 and Long SonIsland in Vung Tau city, people are harvesting for the first time this year.

Nguyen Van Thanh, a farmer, said in 2017 andbefore that producers had suffered losses after prices dropped to 400-700 VNDper kilogramme.

Many of them even gave up salt farming, and as aresult the production area in the province had reduced, he said.

It is down by 100ha to 714ha, according to theprovincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Most of the fields are in Long Dien district and citiesof Ba Ria and Vung Tau.

Nguyen Le Yen Ha, deputy head of the department’sDivision for Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance, said the department hadcollaborated with its counterparts in Kien Giang, Binh Thuan and otherprovinces and HCM City to ensure all the salt would be bought.

It has urged the provincial People’s Committee tooffer incentives to companies investing in factories for salt processing andthe Ba Ria Salt brand name.

The province is upgrading infrastructure for saltproduction, including dredging of four canals to supply water to salt fields.

Two large areas for storing salt are being createdin Long Dien district at a cost of 42.3 billion VND.

The province produces nearly 40,000 tonnes of salta year, with farmers earning nearly 50 million VND (2,150 USD) per hectare ifthey use traditional production methods without plastic sheets to cover thefield and around VNĐ106 million if they use the sheets. Its main marketsare the south-western provinces.–VNA