Salt price rises sharply as traders blame lack of supply, bar on import

Salt is giving bitter taste to its customers as its price has escalated after four to five years.

The price has risen by Tk 2 to 7 a kg in a week.

Loose salt was being sold at Tk 20 to 22 a kg and packed salt at Tk 25 to 32 at the retail market in Dhaka on Friday.

The price of unpacked salt had been Tk 18 to 20 a kg and packed salt Tk 20 to Tk 28 a kg a week ago.

According to the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), salt price soared by 25 percent in past one month.

The traders are blaming lack of supply and bar on import for the price spike.

They warn that the price may go up more if the government will not ease the salt import rules.

According to Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industry Corporation (BSCIC), the annual demand for salt is 16.5 trillion tonnes.

The production in the country was 12 trillion tonnes last year.

The National Salt Committee decided to import 3.5 trillion tonnes in October last year to address the dearth of production.

The commerce ministry has approved import of 1 trillion tonne, Bangladesh Salt Mill Owners Association leader Paritosh Kanti Saha told bdnews24.com.

He said the ministry did not pay heed to their several warnings of a possible price hike.

He said the consumers, the salt farmers, and the mill owners are not gaining from the controlled import.

Saha alleged politicians and influential people in the coastal areas are profiting from the bar on import.