Hard work of salt workers!

(Baothanhhoa.vn) - Hoa Loc Commune is one of the few coastal localities in Thanh Hoa Province that still preserves the traditional salt-making profession. For the people here, each grain of salt not only has the salty taste of the sea, but is also soaked in the sweat of the salt workers.

Lying next to the vast salt fields, people here have been attached to "white rice and salt" for generations, considering it their main livelihood.

Mr. Le Van Thuan, Hoa Loc commune, a salt worker with more than 40 years of experience in the profession at Tam Hoa Cooperative, shared: "Salting is very hard work. You have to wake up early in the morning, in the strong sun, to get salt. If it rains, you will lose everything. All the effort of raking the land and drying it in sea water for several days will be wasted."

Salt production depends entirely on the weather. On sunny days, the temperature can reach over 40 degrees Celsius, so people have to wear conical hats, long-sleeved shirts, and cover themselves to protect themselves from the scorching sun. However, the sunnier it is, the faster the salt crystallizes, ensuring a good yield.

The salt here is made using the traditional method. The first step is to prepare the ground, then shovel the soil in, pour salt water from the tank into the drying yard. Then the sand is soaked in sea water, dried and filtered many times.

After drying the soil, the next step is to scoop the soil into a filter to get the salt water, then pour the salt water from the tank into the drying yard. Finally, dry it for about a day until the salt begins to sprout seeds, then it is time to harvest.

Without the support of machinery, all steps from pumping water, tending the salt fields, harvesting, and transporting are done by hand.

Mr. Le Van Loc, Hoa Loc commune said: "Salt making time usually starts from February to August (lunar calendar). Every day, two people work to make 100 kg of salt. Some days the sun is so strong, their feet get blisters from stepping on the hot salt floor. But they still have to work, because if they don't work today, they won't have anything to eat tomorrow."

According to experience, the hotter the sun, the better the quality of salt. Therefore, these days, many salt farmers go to work in the fields.

Every day, between 3pm and 5pm, when the seawater evaporates, leaving behind pure salt grains on the concrete floor, people harvest the salt and transport it to the salt warehouse, waiting to be sold.

Each grain of salt is a great effort, "exchanging the sun for rice", drops of sweat crystallizing into the essence of the ocean.

Despite the hardship, the income from the salt industry is unstable. The price of salt depends on the market, sometimes it is 2,000 VND/kg, sometimes it is only 800-1,200 VND/kg.

In addition, climate change causes unusual weather, erratic rain and sunshine, making the salt industry even more precarious.

People here said that the income from the salt industry is not enough to support their families, so many young people quit their jobs to go to the city to work, leaving only the elderly to stay in the salt fields.

Despite many difficulties, the salt industry in Hoa Loc still survives. The elderly still cling to their jobs, and the white-haired people still go to the fields early in the morning as a way of life. They work not only to earn a living, but also to preserve the soul of the coastal village, to preserve a precious traditional culture.

Hoang Dong - Phuong Do

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/nhoc-nhan-diem-dan-255343.htm