Bitter Salt

We came to An Dien hamlet in Long Dien commune, Dong Hai district, which is one of the largest salt producing areas in Bac Lieu province. Unseasonal rains at the end of February and the beginning of March have swept away efforts and sweat of salt workers. Almost VND8 billion was cleared out, a huge damage compared to their incomes. According to Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Dong Hai district, previous unseasonal rains seriously damaged 1,958ha of salt fields that were ready to be harvested, putting 1,266 salt workers into poor-stricken life. In ragged salt fields, workers are striving to improve conditions.

Looking at the destitute salt field, salt worker Trinh Van Quy pitifully said: “This year, because of a sudden rain at night we could not react timely. This rain swept away about 60 percent of the salt”. Vinh Thinh commune in Hoa Binh district shares the same fate. On these days, salt fields are full of water. It is only the beginning of the crop but salt workers have suffered serious damages. There are families that did not harvest any salt but are burdened with new investment cost to improve the fields. Most salt workers are poor, it is not easy for them to have money for improvement. Moreover, they are forced by the poverty to live a life of “spending first, earning later”.

 

Mr Tran Van Thao, salt worker of Vinh Hoa hamlet in Vinh Thinh commune lamented: “This work depends much on the Heaven. If the weather is good with high temperature, harvested salt grains are very beautiful. But if it is wet with sudden rains, we have to suffer losses. Last rain season, I harvested only 0.8/2.8ha, 2ha was lost. I was still lucky, because many other families lost everything with any salt harvested”. Unseasonal rains were gone, but laments from salt fields still linger, causing bitter feeling. Salt production is a strenuous work but still it does not bring richness. However, it is a fated work. If not why there are families that 3-4 generations have been living on it”.

 

On the other hand, Mr Ngo Van Dut, salt worker in Vinh Hoa hamlet said: “ For the last years, because of irregular weather, low prices, salt workers have become penniless. I have done this work for over 30 years just because of the love for it, not because of incomes because they are too small”. Salt workers love their work, but does this love last long against severity of weather, hardness of the market. Bac Lieu salt has gained its brand for many years, but why are its salt workers still poor and miserable?

 

Salt workers suffer not only from weather, but also from consumption problem. Struggling for months to make salt, salt workers only hope for a good deal, but traders always depreciate the price. In Vinh Thinh commune, salt consumption mostly bases on salt traders or going through the trading focal points. Usually, the salt price dealt in salt fields is cheaper about VND2,000 - 3,000 per bushel than that dealt directly with the company. Despite price depreciation, salt worker must accept it.

 

Mr Hua Van Nien, a salt worker in Vinh Moi village in Vinh Thinh commune said: “There are salt workers possessing large area of salt fields, having capital and they can wait for a higher price to sell. However, salt workers with small area of salt field, need to borrow money to make salt so they have to sell even at low price to cover their costs. Based on this difficulty, traders do not miss the opportunity to squeeze prices”. That does not mention the story that when there is a bumper crop and the price becomes low without reason. Since early this year, salt price is keen on depreciating. Currently, salt price is just about VND1,100 - 1,200 per kilogram for black salt and about VND1,500 - 1,600 per kilogram for white salt (reducing about VND1,200 - 1,400 per kilogram compared to that in January 2013). Because of that, richer families turn to grow shrimp, goby or artemia. Poorer families, who have little salt, sell their homes to move in another area for a living.

 

Mr Luu Van Ty, Vice Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department in Dong Hai district explained: “Given the unseasonal appearance of sudden rain damaging harvests of salt workers, Agriculture and rural development division of the district has soon proposed the province authority to support salt workers by applying some policies like: supporting petroleum for pumping services to restore production; supporting money equivalent to the amount of melted salt in field to resolve difficulties of salt workers”. Implementing support policies for salt damage is necessary, but it is just a temporary solution, not sustainable.