Capitol’s salt farm projects 10,000 metric tons production
THE provincial government is targeting a salt production of 8,000 to 10,000 metric tons with an estimated value of P40-million to P50-million in the first production cycle of the Pangasinan Salt Center whose first harvest was done on December 21.
This was revealed by Governor Ramon Guico III who led officials during the ceremonial harvesting of salt at the Pangasinan Salt Center in Barangay Zaragoza, Bolinao town. The farm is expected to produce 15,000 to 20,000 metric tons of salt in the second cycle, from February to May 2024, its peak during sunny weather.
“It’s very appropriate for us Pangasinenses, because we derived our province’s name from asin, a place where we make salt. We have not held the farm for several years but we were able to acquire, so to speak, the responsibility of managing and taking care of the largest salt farm in the province, if not in the whole country, and we are very excited to taste the first harvest of salt,” Guico said during the regular Monday flag raising ceremony.
The farm’s first production cycle under the provincial government officially started in November this year.
The Pangasinan Salt Center Project with a total area of 473.888 hectares, is classified as a public land under the supervision of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which was formerly operated by the Pacific Salt Farms Inc. with an average annual production of 12,000 metric tons.
Because of the potential investment of salt farm, the Guico administration signed a memorandum of agreement with the DENR last December 2022 for an “interim management” of the foreshore area in Barangay Zaragosa, Bolinao which is intended for the Salt Industry Program in the province.
Guico said the project is his administration’s response to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s call to resolve the salt crisis in the country.
Pangasinan is one of the country’s biggest producers of salt with 64,156. 36 metric tons based on the 2021 Salt Production Data. (Eva Visperas)
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