CITY OF MALOLOS — Tropical depression Aghon has initiated the closure of the solar salt farming season in Central Luzon.

As the downpour of heavy rains on salt beds become regular these last few days of the month of May plus the entry of “Aghon,” solar salt beds operations started to close.

The closure of solar salt beds are now being converted to fishpond operations for the rainy season, village officials of Namayan and Caliligawan in the coastal areas in the City of Malolos explained.

Solar salt bed farmers in Bulacan explained that their salt making preparations start with the onset of the dry season and productions usually stop as the rainy season begins.

This was also confirmed to ARKIPELAGO NEWS BULACAN by Wilfredo Cruz, Region III director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

Most of the solar salt beds in Central Luzon are found in the coastal areas of Malolos, Paombong and Bulakan in the province of Bulacan and operates during the summer season, Cruz said.

He also cited that salt farmers in Aurora province cook sea water to produce salt that has finer grains compared to those produced in solar salt beds.

Cruz noted that the El Niño phenomenon has boosted productions on solar salt beds as the summer heat facilitates faster crystalization process.

He added that there are more or less 500 hectares of salt beds in Bulacan.

Cruz also explained that their agency is helping to revive  the dying salt industry in the country by extending input assistance to the salt bed farmers in the region by providing them with clay tiles, water pumps and “kamalig” repairs.

Reports said 93 percent of the country’s current salt requirements are being outsourced and only seven percent comes from local salt producers. 

It cited that in the 1980s, almost 85 percent of the salt requirement was sourced locally while only 15 percent came from imports.

File photo: Mon Lazaro