Families in Tan Thuan Village Face Challenges as Salt Price Dips

The Tô Minh Vương family, from Tan Thuan commune, has been involved in the salt industry for over 10 years. This year, due to prolonged heatwaves, the family’s salt harvest has been favorable. Mr. Vương noted that “our family has had a weak salt season this year” because they had to put in more effort during the salt harvesting process, yet the price of salt has decreased significantly.

“The price this year is much lower compared to last year. Last year, it was 1,500 VND/kg, but this year it’s only around 900 VND/kg. The black salt price has decreased by about 30%, now ranging from 900 to 1,000 VND/kg,” said Mr. Vương.

The Võ Minh Vương family, who cultivate salt on an area of about 1,300 m2, is expected to harvest around 30 tonnes of salt this season, which is equal to last year’s production. However, due to the decreased salt price, the family’s income is projected to decrease by about 30%, resulting in a profit of only around 20 million VND for the whole season.

Trần Quốc Huy, a salt cultivator in the region, stated: “This year, the salt quantity is relatively good, but the price has decreased significantly compared to previous years. Last year, it was around 60,000 VND/dạ, but this year it’s only a little over 30,000 VND/dạ. The prices are unfavorable this year, so I will store the salt until around June to July when people start buying salt for making fish sauce or dried salt.”

Tan Thuan commune is home to about 70 households engaged in salt production, covering an area of nearly 200 hectares. In recent years, the locals have improved their salt production by using plastic sheets and adopting machinery to assist with water pumping, reducing the laborious nature of the work and increasing salt productivity. However, the significant decrease in salt prices this year still worries the locals.