Many producers can not produce salt in the current season due to loss from the unsold salt, they told this correspondent during a visit to the salt producing areas on Friday.

They said their products could not be sold due to import and smuggling of salt from Myanmar and India.

About 50,000 people including at least 50,000 marginal farmers are involved in salt production and trade in eight upazilas of Cox's Bazar district.

"I lost my capital", said Korshed Alam, at Moheshkhali.

Cox's Bazar Salt Producers' Action Committee President Anwar Pasha Chowdhury said a maund of salt was supposed to be sold at between Tk 300 and Tk 350 during June-August rainy season. But due to easy availability of smuggled salt from Myanmar, price of locally produced salt fell to Tk 50.

Many producers have lost their capital as they could not sell their hoarded salt. They may not go for production this season, he said.

General Manager of BSCIC's (Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation) Salt Project Salahuddin Chowdhury said 14 lakh 83,000 metric tons of salt were produced on 70,050 acres of land in eight upazilas of Cox's Bazar and one upazila (Banshkhali) of Chittagong district last year.

As the production exceeded the target of 11, 70,000 tonnes, producers could not sell their salt due to lower price, he said.

Cox's Bazar Salt Factory Owners-Producers Oikya Parisad Convener Raisuddin alleged that some vested quarters are active to ruin the industry.

They import salt from India and Myanmar in large quantities, much higher than the demand. Only 5 per cent import duty is imposed on salt, he said urging the government to ban import altogether to protect the local industry.

Raisuddin also alleged that at least 100 smugglers in Teknaf, Cox's Bazar and Chittagong are engaged in smuggling salt from India and Myanmar. They also barter urea fertiliser for salt, using sea routes.

Hasanul Abedin Shuva, a salt producer in Uttar Nalbila village in Kalar Mar Chhara union in Maheshkhali upazila, said he has a carryover of about 40,000 maunds. He has no ability to produce salt this year, he said.

Sarwar Azam Manik of Hoyanok union has a stock of 30, 000 maunds, Rezaul Karim of Mazergona 20,000 maunds and Aby Taher Chowdhury of Dailyaghona has 15,000 maunds.

Police, navy personnel and coast guards seized 7 cargo vessels with 70, 000 maunds of smuggled salt in Teknaf, Ukhiya, Maheshkhali and Chakoria coasts in last three months, police sources said.

In most cases police can not arrest smugglers because they usually use deep sea routes.

Salt is produced here from drying salty seawater on lands close to the sea. This is done mostly through cutting forests and raising embankments. Influential own most of the salt growing lands and lease those to landless salt farmers, who grow salt on contract basis.

In the new method salty water from the sea is collected on polythene-covered salt-beds. The salt thus produced is clean and white, as they do not get mixed with sand or mud, farmers in Kotobdia told this correspondent.

Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) sources and farmers said the production in the new method is at least 30 per cent higher than in the traditional method.

BSCIC officials said they started research on the new method in 1999 to increase production and develop the industry to avoid import.

UNICEF provided assistance in the project.