Can the Phl become self-sufficient in salt?

The Philippines wants to wipe out salt imports by 2040 as it plans to be self-sufficient in the commodity in less than two decades through various state interventions and private sector investments.

- By JASPER EMMANUEL ARCALAS

The Marcos administration has set the goal of achieving self-sufficiency in salt in 15 years under the recently approved Philippine Salt Industry Development Roadmap 2025-2040.

"This blueprint marks not just a policy milestone, but a bold act of reclamation — reviving an industry that once thrived along our sun-drenched shores, now poised to rise again, stronger and more enduring than before," Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said.

The creation of the roadmap is mandated by Republic Act 11985 or the Philippine Salt Industry Development Act, which aims to make the country attain self-sufficiency and eventually become a net exporter of salt.

The industry blueprint, a copy of which was obtained by The STAR, showed that the government plans to achieve self-sufficiency through staggered levels.

The country's salt self-sufficiency level stood at 13 percent in 2022, the roadmap indicated, citing a research article published in the Philippine Journal of Fisheries last year.