Vietnam to Continue Importing Salt amid Ample Supply: Expert
Vietnam will still have to import a large quantity of salt next year despite ample supply from domestic market, said an official from the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Cities and provinces in the country are expected to offer nearly 1.74 million tons of salt in 2011, about 390,000 tons higher than demand, Pham Ngoc Thanh, senior expert from the ministry’s Chemicals Department was cited by the Voice of Vietnam Radio as saying.
The expert, however, noted that almost all the harvested salt is black and low quality, forcing the country to import salt for industrial production.
Vietnam is forecast to need more than 324,000 tons of industrial salt next year, including 237,000 tons for chemical production and 87,000 tons for food processing.
In 2010, domestic firms are estimated to have imported nearly 453,844 tons of salt, out of a total demand for 454,000 tons for industrial production, with China and India being the major suppliers. (VoV, Pioneer)
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