The government has no plan to import salt this year, especially ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, as the country has a stock of around 1.0 million tonnes of the essential item.
When contacted, director (project) of Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) Mohammad Ataur Rahman Siddique said: "We will not allow salt import this year as there is a huge quantity of stock in the country."
He said Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun will visit Cox's Bazar in the first week of next month to see the salt production areas.
He added that there is a sufficient stock of salt in the country to meet the demand for this year, including the requirement for processing the raw hide of sacrificial animal during the Eid-ul-Azha.
The government only considers importing salt in the event of acute shortage of the item, officials said.
Bangladesh had imported 0.25 million tonnes and 0.5 million tonnes of crude salt in 2016 and 2017 respectively in an attempt to stabilise the local market, they said.
The deficit of salt was about 0.35 million tonnes in the last two years. Some 0.75 million tonnes of crude salt had been imported to meet the deficit.
Over 1.8 million tonnes of salt was produced in the last season against the target of 1.7 million tonnes set by the BSCIC against the domestic demand for over 1.65 million tonnes.
The annual demand for salt increases by 10 per cent in line with the growing population, a high official of BSCIC said.
During the Eid-ul-Azha, a significant amount of salt will be required for preserving hides and skins of sacrificial animals, a commerce ministry official said.
The committee responsible for monitoring salt production and demand as per the National Salt Policy 2016 will sit soon to discuss necessary strategies for the next salt season beginning in November, he added.
The country produced 1.66 million tonnes of salt in 2016-17 and 1.62 million tonnes in 2015-16, BSCIC sources said.
