Production linkage alone is not enough
Bac Lieu has a salt production area of over 1,460 hectares, mainly concentrated in Dong Hai and Hoa Binh districts. In the 2023 - 2024 salt crop, due to favorable weather, salt crystallized quickly, with an output of nearly 76,500 tons, exceeding the plan by 305.8%. However, low salt prices have a big impact on income, making it difficult for salt farmers to maintain production.
Faced with this situation, salt production cooperatives have appeared, playing an important role in connecting rice with scientific and technical advances, providing materials, collateraling products and supporting loans to develop production. This is not only a basis to help farmers improve productivity but also opens up opportunities to access new technologies in salt production.
Doanh Dien Cooperative (Dien Hai Commune, Dong Hai District) has 71 members, with 37.5 hectares, the 2023 - 2024 salt crop achieved an output of up to 1,925 tons. Huy Dien Cooperative (also in Dien Hai commune) has 40 members, an area of 40.5 hectares, with a salt output of 420 tons. Or Tam Binh Cooperative (Vinh Thinh Commune, Hoa Binh District) has 68 hectares, of which the area of traditional salt is 28 hectares, the area of salt is 48 hectares. The total output is more than 4,000 tons/year, of which 2,400 tons of salt is applied to tarpaulins.
Mr. Phan Chi Tam - Chairman of Tam Binh Cooperative - shared: "The establishment of the cooperative has helped farmers link to purchase products. In addition, the cooperative built a warehouse so the salt was stored so that next year the selling price could be higher. Thereby, contributing to increasing the income of cooperative members".
Although cooperatives have helped farmers improve productivity, the problem of salt product consumption is still a big challenge. In fact, salt Lam people mainly sell salt to traders, which leads to a situation of good harvest - poor price and vice versa. Therefore, salt grain prices are unstable and lack options for consumption markets.
Hope for stable output
Salt output in Bac Lieu will increase next year than last year, but the profit from salt grains is still low.
According to statistics from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Bac Lieu (now the Department of Agriculture and Environment), the traditional salt production model has an average income of about 47.6 million VND/ha, after deducting costs, the profit is about 28.4 million VND/ha. The model of producing 74 tons of salt for tarpaulin per hectare, income is more than 89 million VND/ha, profit is about 49.5 million VND/ha. However, low salt prices and an unstable consumption market are still factors that make it difficult to maintain and develop long-term production.
Mr. Tran Van Thua - Chairman of the Board of Directors of Doanh Dien Cooperative - shared: "Only by working together, eating together, expanding the market, and finding consuming partners can farmers make a living from the profession. In recent years, thanks to the attention of the province and locality, salt workers like us have no longer had to face many difficulties and challenges as before".
Mr. Ho Minh Chien - Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dong Hai Clean Salt Cooperative - said: If salt has a stable output at 2,000 VND/kg, salt makers can make a living from the profession. "I hope that after the Festival, the output price for salt grains will be stable at a reasonable price, then the salt fields in Bac Lieu will revive, an opportunity to develop tourism as the provincial leaders expect".
The Vietnam - Bac Lieu Salt Craft Festival 2025, which will take place from March 6 to March 8, is expected to create momentum for Bac Lieu Salt Grains to develop, and for salt farmers to make a living by the profession.
