Press Release - Villar thanks PBBM for giving 'new life' to the salt industry

The dying salt industry will finally breathe new life after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed into law Republic Act No 11985 (An Act Strengthening and Revitalizing the Salt Industry in the Philippines, Appropriating Funds Thereof), said Senator Cynthia A. Villar. The senator, principal sponsor of the bill, said this is a "welcome development" and "we thank President Marcos" for this opportunity and huge help to revive the country's salt industry. She said this is also a 'prayer heard' for the sector's workers and stakeholders who have been appealing to revitalize the salt industry. Furthermore, she said all coastal communities will be able to again produce salt.

The Chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture and Food noted the law will address the expansion of the current salt farms concentrated in Pangasinan and Mindoro. "The Department of Environment and Natural Resources and BFAR are mandated to map out, identify, and designate public lands, including portions of municipal waters, as salt production areas within 60 days from the passage of this Act," said Villar. "Public land for salt production shall also be leased for a 25-year period, renewable for another 25 years, for use as salt farms. For this purpose, BFAR shall issue the Salt Production Tenurial Instrument where cooperatives and associations of subsistence and small producers and farmers shall be given preferential treatment," she added.

According to Villar, we need to meet the growing demand of Filipino household and the additional annual demand for 300,000 metric tons of salt as coconut fertilizer under the 2021 Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act. She lamented that our salt production accounts for only 16.782 percent or 114,000 metric tons of the 683,000 metric tons annual demand.

Under the newly- signed law, a Philippine Salt Industry Development Roadmap shall be formulated to include programs, projects, and interventions for the development and management, research, processing, utilization, modernization, and commercialization of Philippine salt.

It shall also create the 16-member Philippine Salt Industry Development Council, headed by the Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary.