THE Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) cheered the signing of a law that aims to strengthen and revive the country’s salt industry.
PCCI, the country’s largest business organization, on Tuesday, March 19, said the newly signed Republic Act (RA) 11985, or the Philippine Salt Industry Development Act, would help revive the “dying” local salt industry.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. recently signed the measure, which states that appropriate technology and research, as well as adequate financial, production, marketing, and other support services, will be provided to salt farmers to improve the salt industry.
The law will also help the Philippines increase salt production, achieve salt-sufficiency, and become the next exporter of salt.
“It is further the policy of the state to preserve, protect, and rehabilitate the natural environment in the actualization of its developmental policies,” the law said.
With this, PCCI president Enunina Mangio expressed hopes that the new law will address the gaps in the implementation of the ASIN Law, or An Act for Salt Iodization Nationwide, and create opportunities for people, especially in rural areas.
“We are an archipelagic country with over 7,000 islands, yet we import more than 90 percent of our salt requirement. It’s a sad reality that we need to collectively address through the effective implementation of the law,” said Mangio.
The PCCI chief said the new law is expected to not only attract more farmers and producers to return to salt farming and production but also generate new investments and new technologies to elevate the industry and make it more competitive.
The group said the local salt industry has the potential to generate 100,000 green jobs, especially in the countryside, and save foreign exchange from importing 550,000 metric tons of salt every year, which constitutes around 93% of the salt requirement of the country.
The Philippines can also partake in the share of the world export of salt, which exceeded $2.59 billion in 2021, according to PCCI.
The law also states that the Philippine Salt Industry Development Roadmap will be formulated and established to ensure the attainment of its objectives, which are aligned with the objectives and continued implementation of RA 8172 or ASIN Law. (GMA Integrated News)
