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Bountiful bumper salt harvest in Puttalam this year
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Dry weather conditions in the Puttalam District have helped to increase salt production and are likely to lead to the best harvest in five years.
Those engaged in the trade believe that an estimated 100,000 mt could be harvested this season.
Salt production had been affected in the past few years due to the rains experienced, and as a result Sri Lanka was forced to import salt from India.
Sri Lanka annually requires more than 180,000 mt of salt.
M. U. Ashraff, a trader, commenting on the production, said that after a drop in prices of salt prices are now increasing- with a 50 Kg bag selling at Rs 2,000 to 2,300.
He said that it was after a couple of years that those involved in the business are benefiting.
M. S. Rizvi added that importing salt from India had affected their business and the quality too had been lacking.
The President of the Puttalam Salt Producers’ Association, Raniz Bathiurdeen, said they have produced 50,000 mt of salt in pans coming under their purview and would be able to increase it by 10,000 mt soon.
Mr. Niluk Dilhan, representing a company involved in salt production, said that Sri Lanka needs to expand the area used for salt production by about 5,000 acres to increase the possibility of maintaining a buffer stock.
Pix and text by Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe
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