Working with the Ministry of Agriculture, Agrifood, and Forestry of France on enhancing salt grain value

Within the framework of the working trip to the French Republic, on October 14, the Department of Economic Cooperation and Rural Development (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam) and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Bac Lieu province had a working session with the Ministry of Agriculture, Agrifood, and Forestry of France on the situation of clean salt production, enhancing the value of salt grains and preparations for the Vietnam-Bac Lieu Salt Festival in 2025.

At the meeting, representatives of the Department of Economic Cooperation and Rural Development presented the current situation and solutions for developing the Vietnamese salt industry. Accordingly, the salt production profession is present in 116 communes in 40 districts of 19 provinces stretching from North to South, including Bac Lieu province.

With an output of about 1.4 million tons annually, Vietnamese salt products are diverse and divided into four main groups: crude salt, refined salt, industrial salt, and food salt. Many localities have built brands and geographical indications, developing OCOP salt products. The refined salt products of Bac Lieu Salt and Trading Joint Stock Company have achieved 4-star OCOP.

Currently, the provinces have built distribution channels at major supermarkets such as: BigC, Co.opmart, Vinmart, Bach Hoa Xanh retail system. In particular, salt products of some localities such as Nghe An, Ninh Thuan, Bac Lieu have been exported to Europe, the US, Japan, Korea, etc.The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Bac Lieu province are preparing for the Vietnam-Bac Lieu Salt Festival in 2025 to honor and preserve the Vietnamese salt industry; promote, introduce, and build the typical image and strengths of salt products in Bac Lieu and the whole country.

The Vietnam-Bac Lieu Salt Festival also has the following activities: Visiting Bac Lieu to listen to traditional music; Space to display models, artifacts, and technical advances in salt production and processing; Workshop "Orientation and solutions for developing Bac Lieu salt tourism products"; Conference on investment promotion in the fields of agriculture and rural areas; Workshop on "Application of science and technology in salt production, adaptation to climate change". Also, creating an environment for the exchange and sharing of experiences and knowledge in the production, business, and processing of salt products and OCOP products among localities nationwide, strengthening linkages and cooperation in production, business, and salt processing.

Also at the meeting, the Department of Economic Cooperation and Rural Development and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Bac Lieu province invited the Ministry of Agriculture, Agrifood, and Forestry of France to attend the Vietnam-Bac Lieu Salt Festival in early 2025.