Salt farmers in the salt season

The salt season in Phu Loc village usually lasts from March to July every year. This work mainly depends on the weather. The hotter the sun, the more beautiful, salty and pure white the salt grains are. For salt farmers, they like the hot sun the most and are afraid of sudden showers.

In the heat of nearly 40 ^degrees Celsius at the end of May, on the salt fields of Quang Phu commune, hundreds of salt workers are working busily despite the sweltering heat rising from the ground. According to the experience of salt workers, the hotter the sun, the higher the salt yield and the more assured the salt quality.

Quang Phu salt farmers enter the main salt production season in 2025.

Mr. Le Van Thuong's family is one of the largest salt-making households in Quang Phu commune. Unlike salt fields in other provinces, the salt-making area in Quang Phu is still quite fragmented, making it difficult to invest in production. Entering the 2025 salt crop, Mr. Thuong's family has "accumulated" 2.5 hectares of salt fields by exchanging rice fields (land 64) and buying more fields from surrounding people.

Mr. Thuong said that the salt industry is hard work, does not bring high income but is stable. With the large salt field area that has just been "accumulated", his family has had the opportunity to plan systematically, put machines into production to increase productivity, output and quality of salt, and increase income.

According to the Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Quang Phu Commune, Pham Ngoc Dong, the whole commune currently has 71.5 hectares of salt production. This is the peak season of the year. As of May 15, 2025, salt farmers have produced 2,500 tons of salt. Meanwhile, the commune's annual salt production plan is set at 5,000-7,000 tons. Currently, the price of salt is around 1,300-1,500 VND/kg, 300 VND/kg higher than last year.

In the 2024 salt crop, the price of salt dropped below 1,000 VND/kg, causing salt producers in Quang Phu to fall into a situation of "good harvest, low price", with a large amount of salt at the end of the season being stuck and unsold. According to salt producers, the unstable price of salt is what worries them the most, not the hardship of the job. It is a fact that the salt industry is not attracting local workers, especially young workers.

In Quang Phu commune, there is only one salt production cooperative, Quang Phu Salt Cooperative, with 8 official members. Over the years, the cooperative has made efforts to help people find stable output and high prices so that they can stick with the profession; at the same time, building Quang Phu salt into an OCOP product to increase product value. However, the fluctuating market price of salt has significantly affected the cooperative's operations, especially the consumption market.

To increase the value of salt grains, Quang Phu Salt Cooperative as well as salt farmers really need the attention of all levels and sectors in investing in completing the infrastructure of the salt area; supporting people in investing funds, applying new salt production models such as clean salt, safe salt, forming value chain links between salt farmers and enterprises in production associated with processing and consuming products so that salt farmers in Quang Phu can feel secure in maintaining and living with their profession.

L.An

Source: https://baoquangbinh.vn/kinh-te/202505/diem-dan-vao-vu-muoi-2226528/