Think of the grain of salt today

Hai Dong commune (Hai Hau) - where the foothills of the waves, from many generations ago, the salty grain, crystallizing the taste of the sea is the product soaked in sweat and effort of the salt people, becoming the "heredity" profession. , son-in-law". Although the production area has decreased sharply, the quality of salt has been increasingly improved; in which light sea salt products from Hai Dong salt fields have been exported abroad and are present in "fastidious" markets such as Japan.

Take the sand soaked in sea water, then pick it up and transfer it to dry on the clay court. Under the sun, seawater evaporates, leaving white salt crystals that recrystallize on the sand grains.

Uncle Ich further information: In the 70s and 80s of the last century, the salt industry was "on the throne", creating a stable source of income for the salt people here. At that time, people told salt people to "make fun, eat real", because people just take sea water into the field and wait until the end of the day when the water crystallizes into salt, then scoop it up and wait for traders to buy it... ?!) "Actually, salting is hard work, no one can get rich by profession".

The salt people continue to take salt water level 1, ie sea water to pour into this sand layer and filter it to get salt water level 2.

More than 60 years of making sand, carrying salt, sticking to the salt industry, Nguyen Thi Nhung's life has been through the ups and downs of salt grains. Uncle Nhung confided: "When the sun is shining, people run into the house, the salt people rush to the salt fields. This job is hard work like no other, the more sunny it is, the temperature rises to 37-39^oC, the salt people are even happier (!). Therefore, the lunch of the saltwater people in Hai Dong usually starts at 10 am, then takes a break, until the sun stands, the bamboo tops are busy with the salt field under the fierce sun like pouring fire. . Salt making time each year is only 3-5 months. In the days of farming, people have to work as hired laborers: digging ponds, making lagoons, knitting nets, etc., doing enough jobs to earn a living.

Different from the way salt is made in the Central and the South, the people of Nam Dinh sea in general and the salt people of Hai Dong commune make salt by the sand drying method. This method is more sophisticated, in return, produces light salt grains with its own characteristics and flavors. In Hai Dong, there are 2 salt crops each year: the “seasonal salt” season – the main season from the beginning of April to the end of the 4th lunar month; "salt con" season from August to the end of October of the lunar calendar. Seasonal salt gives a higher yield because “sunshine, white salt”, white salt, cotton and salt grains will be more uniform because there are “many sunny days A” (temperature from 6^oC and above).

After drying the soil, the next step is to shovel the soil into the filter to get salt water, then water the salt water from the tank into the drying yard.

With more than 50 years of experience with the profession, Mr. Nguyen Van Luan said that in order to make salt, salt farmers have to "one sun and two dew" and work very hard. The process of producing salt for drying sand in Hai Dong includes many stages. Step 1: Take sand from the sea and continue to soak it in sea water, then pick it up and transfer it to dry on a clay court. Under the sun, seawater evaporates, salt crystals recrystallize on the sand grains. The saltwater people continue to take salt water level 1, ie sea water to pour into this layer of sand and filter it to get level 2 salt water. 2. Step 3: Salt water level 3, after being collected from the filter tank, will be transported to the salt fields on the concrete yard for drying. After a sunny day, the salt will be crystallized and harvested. The amount of salt obtained is proportional to the time and the heat of the day. The last step in the process of making salt from sea water is the harvesting step, which is also the step that salt people wait for the most. This harvest is done from about 3 to 2 pm, when the salt has crystallized in the field.

At dusk on the Hai Dong salt field, salt is collected in piles, white. Neighbors hustle and bustle, busy harvesting, jubilant laughter; Each row of wheelbarrows brought salt to the warehouse. Mr. Do Van Toan shared with us about the "salty" of the salt industry. According to Mr. Toan, salt making is hard work because it depends on the weather; hard labor, but the income of the salt people in Hai Dong is often unstable. During the COVID-19 epidemic, to produce, the price dropped dramatically, only from 800 to 1.000 VND / kg, produced, salt "in stock", salt people were in a state of turmoil. With a hand to wipe away the sweat, Ms. Dang Thi Can smiled: "Salt crop in 2023, favorable weather, many sunny days A, salt is "good in season, good in price", wherever it is produced, sold out in the field; Traders buy finished salt at the price of 2.500 to 3.000 VND/kg”. Mr. Nguyen Van Toan continued. "This year, the price of salt has increased, and traders have been hunting and buying it right in the fields, the salt people are very excited, many salt fields that were previously abandoned have now been put back into production."

Level 3 salt water, after being collected from the filter tank, will be transported to the salt fields on the concrete yard for drying.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Duong, Chairman of Hai Dong Commune People's Committee said: The whole commune currently has 110 households with 275 salt workers. In the first 6 months of 2023, on an area of ​​more than 15ha, the number of sunny days at the beginning of the crop is high, salt farmers cling to the sun and fields for production; salt yield reached 20 tons/ha; salt production reached 380 tons, an increase compared to the same period in 2022. Taking advantage of the sea, Hai Dong planned 8 concentrated and specialized production areas such as high-quality rice areas, general farms, and farming. aquatic products, salt production areas, etc. to help people invest in converting crops and livestock, improving the economic value of the cultivated area. In which, focusing on restructuring agricultural production, building OCOP products with clean salt, iodized salt, meeting 3, 4 star standards.

The people of Hai Dong have a saying: "His life is for his father's life. There's a pile of sand that keeps coming in and out." To have a grain of salt is the salty crystallization of the sea taste, the effort of "selling your back to the sky, selling your face to the sea" of the salt people in the foothills region.

In order to increase the value of salt and contribute to raising incomes for salt farmers, the commune mobilized people to apply science and technology in salt production, improving the infrastructure in the fields to reduce labor. At the same time, actively find a "direction" for salt grains through association with companies and businesses in the area participating in salt consumption for people. Regularly organize classes to disseminate knowledge on food safety, clean salt production, and train quality management programs in production and business for salt farmers and individual households doing salt business.

Director of Nam Dinh Salt and Trading Joint Stock Company Tran Thi Binh For many years, the company has deployed clean salt production, ensuring food safety and health protection for domestic consumers. The company actively cooperated with salt farmers in Hai Hau and Giao Thuy districts to expand the clean salt production area; help salt farmers keep their jobs, have a more stable income. In Hai Dong commune, the Company invested and signed a contract to consume salt grain with an area of ​​2ha.

The salty, crystalline salt of the sea is a product soaked in sweat, the efforts of the people of Hai Dong, becoming a "father-in-law" profession.

Linking clean salt production with salt farmers, Nam Dinh Salt and Trading Joint Stock Company has invested in production equipment and systems; organize training, propaganda, technical guidance ... to change production thinking for salt farmers to improve the quality and value of salt. Accordingly, the Company supports farmers to rebuild salt fields, design a system of ditches to bring water to the fields and treat sea water from the beginning to remove harmful impurities soon. The company researched and produced about 20 clean salt products; in which, 5 products have been recognized by the Provincial People's Committee as 4-star OCOP products. In particular, there is one product that has been officially exported to the Japanese market since 1, which is the Japanese export salt product NADISALT brand. According to calculations, each year the Company exports to the Japanese market over 2017 tons of salt.

Perform: Vietnam wins

Present: Truong Vinh

Publication Date: May 4, 8