Vietnam Halts Salt Import Quotas in 2010: Ministry
The Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has decided to halt quotas for salt import in 2010 and urged local processing firms to use the locally produced salt.
The move is to stabilize the domestic market and protect local farmers.
Earlier, the MoIT said that it approved local firms to import 260,000 tons of salt, making the salt prices in the domestic market to fall sharply in rich supply.
Prices of salt range from VND300,000 to VND1.1 million per ton in Vietnam’s market, compared to VND1.1 million-VND1.7 million per ton in 2009.
Vietnam’s demand for salt is estimated at 1.3 million tons a year and it expects to produce over 1 million tons because of favorable weather condition.
Last year the country imported 240,000 tons, compared to 138,000 tons in 2007 despite its over 3,000-kilometer coastline. (News)
Vietnamese
