Salt makers in two localities in Negros Occidental are seen to hit record production by the middle of the year through the assistance of the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-Western Visayas (DA-BFAR Region 6).

Some 20 salt producers from Barangay Sampinit, Bago City and Barangay Utod in the neighboring Pulupandan town, located in the southern part of the province, are beneficiaries of the bureau’s Development of Salt Industry Project (DSIP).

As a livelihood support, production started last December and output as of Jan. 29, 2024 showed a commendable daily average production of 15 to 25 kilograms of solar salt, according to a report by BFAR-6 on Thursday.

“Projections indicate that by the end of May 2024, salt producers will have a cumulative harvest of a whopping 90,000 kilograms or 1,800 sacks of high-quality solar salt,” it added.

In a statement, Sergio Bucog, who belongs to the Sampinit Salt Makers Association, thanked the BFAR for granting them the salt-making package.

“This is a big help for us. We will use this properly so we can increase salt production,” he said in the local dialect.

The DSIP aims to address the challenges and gaps in the country’s salt industry and production.

Under the program, the beneficiaries were provided production input and received project coaching, assistance in labeling their products, as well as marketing strategies.

The social preparation training for the two associations focused on financial literacy, good manufacturing practices, sanitation standard operating procedures, and orientation on the Republic Act 8172 or “An Act for Salt lodization Nationwide.” (PNA)