Misamis Oriental is among the priority areas for salt production under the Philippine Salt Industry Development Act, which was passed last year to revive the industry. Photo credit: iStock/missisya
Salt farmers in the coastal province of Misamis Oriental in Mindanao have reason to be hopeful with the Philippines’ push to revive the salt industry and make production more sustainable.
Misamis Oriental is among the priority areas for salt production under the Philippine Salt Industry Development Act, which was passed last year. The goal is to make the country self-sufficient in salt by improving the livelihood of salt farmers and producers.
The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) is helping the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) explore ways to deploy renewable energy in salt production in Misamis Oriental.
“Our support to BFAR is to explore workable models of integrating [the] Productive Use of Renewable Energy (PURE) [concept] on the salt production process,” said Raymond Tejano, information technology officer at MinDA.
Apart from Misamis Oriental, Palawan, which is also part of BIMP-EAGA, is also a priority salt production area.
During their meeting in October last year, BIMP-EAGA ministers welcomed initiatives to support the salt industry as part of the subregion’s blue economy strategy, which leverages on the ocean as a new engine for sustainable growth.
Net importer
The Philippines imports 93% of its salt despite having a coastline stretching 36,289 kilometers.
Local production has declined over the years due to extreme weather, in particular, prolonged wet seasons and rains, as well as limited government support, according to a report looking into the industry. Urbanization also became an issue as salt farms were converted into residential and commercial properties. Producers were also unable to comply with a 1995 law requiring them to produce iodized salt due to limited knowhow about the iodization process. This forced most small-scale producers to cease operations.
To revive the industry, the government committed to the following:
- build roads linking salt farms to market,
- support research in developing new salt production technologies,
- mechanize production,
- provide trainings,
- help producers organize into associations or cooperatives,
- support producers in trade and export, and
- grant fiscal incentives to salt producers.
The law designates 13 priority production areas. These include Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Zambales, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Quezon, and Antique.
Renewable energy in salt production
In Misamis Oriental, authorities are exploring ways to deploy renewable energy so farmers and producers could operate around the clock. “We are exploring PURE hoping that this will assist salt farmers to produce salt 24/7 as compared to the traditional salt drying methods,” said Tejano.
PURE aims to expand energy access in areas that can generate more revenue for rural communities, while creating demand for clean electricity. The government, with the help from European Union, had previously deployed projects that adopted the concept. These include projects in Davao in Mindanao and Pangasinan in Luzon. The projects benefited farming communities by providing them renewable energy for lighting in poultry raising and fishing and use of cold storage and dryers as well as power tools for carpentry and milling, among others.
MinDA is coordinating with the Municipality of Alubijid in Misamis Oriental for the project as the town has the largest salt drying ponds in Mindanao. “We are in the process of the pre-FS [feasibility] stage,” Tejano said.
MinDA is partnering with the Department of Energy and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s (BARMM) Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Energy to deploy PURE in salt production in Mindanao.
Case for solar salt production
Even before the 2024 law, the government had embarked on a plan to revive the ailing salt industry. In a memorandum circular issued in September 2022, the Department of Agriculture laid out the implementing guidelines to develop the industry. “The government should lead the way in stimulating the salt industry,” the circular said.
The government will support the industry by identifying, constructing and preparing the necessary salt-producing areas and make it ready for the private sector to operate them. This can entice the private sector investors to put their working capital, management, local manpower, and technological resources to sustain local production, market, and distribution, the circular noted.
The government supports the use of the solar method in salt production, which entails capturing salt water in a pan-type structure where the sun evaporates most of the water.
In 2023, BFAR conducted trainings on solar salt production in Poblacion, Alicia in Zamboanga Sibugay, in Mindanao. Participants learned about the solar salt production process from the initial stages of site selection to the final production and marketing, as well as food safety standards.
The training promoted sustainable practices by depending on the power of the sun in producing salt.
Similar trainings have been conducted in other parts of the country since the program was launched.