DA bares plans to improve local salt production, says Palace
Malacañang disclosed that "initial plans" are already in place to improve salt production in the country, which it has tagged as "long neglected" industry.

"Tutulong ang ating pamahalaan para sa modernisasyon ng ating industriya ng pag-aasin (The government will help in the modernization of our salt industry)," Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles announced on Monday, Aug. 29.
She said that the government "is now working double time to beef up support for the salt industry to enhance the production of the local salt in the country."
The Department of Agriculture (DA) and other government agencies already came up with plans for this agenda.
It was disclosed that the DA will implement programs to boost salt production and supply, which, according to the DA, is starting to dwindle.
The Agriculture department will also expand salt production areas and push for the development of technologies to accelerate the production of the commodity.
It will also join hands with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to fully develop the local salt industry under Republic Act 8172 or the Act for Salt Iodization Nationwide (ASIN).
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), for its part, will lead various research and development initiatives on salt production and assist marginal and artisanal salt makers.
The government also committed to push for the realization of the Development of Salt Industry Project (DSIP) for salt makers in the Ilocos Region, Western Visayas, and Zamboanga Peninsula.
This came after Agriculture executives revealed that the country is also experiencing a shortage in the supply of salt, prompting the agency to allocate P100 million in the 2023 national budget for the improvement of salt production in the country.
The DA is headed by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. in a concurrent capacity. At present, his department is facing its first major issue—sugar problem—since assuming the presidency.