Climate shocks hit salt production, push prices up 50%

Bangladesh's salt industry is increasingly disrupted by erratic weather linked to climate change, with heavy rainfall, prolonged cloudy conditions, and extreme heat affecting production in the country's coastal salt fields.

Salt cultivation depends heavily on temperature, humidity, and wind conditions during the dry season. Intense heat between April and May allows farmers to harvest salt within four to nine days.

The impact was particularly severe in FY26, when adverse weather caused salt production to fall 28% below the target. The shortfall has pushed wholesale raw salt prices up 50% year-on-year, prompting the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (Bscic) to recommend importing 150,000 tonnes of raw salt.

Production fluctuating 

Bscic data covering 66 years show that the sector once regularly produced more than domestic demand.

In FY72, production reached 637,000 tonnes against a demand of 388,000 tonnes, achieving 164.18% of the target. Some 20,225 farmers cultivated 26,288 acres, producing 24.24 tonnes per acre.

Infograph: TBS

The highest amount of land under salt cultivation was recorded in FY2006, when 70,050 acres produced 1.575 million tonnes against a target of 1.17 million tonnes.

However, the sector later faced losses and shrinking cultivable land. Large infrastructure projects, including power plants, a deep-sea port and fuel facilities, were developed in Moheshkhali and surrounding areas of Cox's Bazar, the country's main salt-producing region.

Nearly 4,000 acres of salt-producing land in Moheshkhali alone were lost to infrastructure development. The number of salt farmers fell from 44,574 in FY06 to 27,697 in FY21.

The sector made a major recovery in FY24, producing 2.438 million tonnes against demand of 2.528 million tonnes on 68,505 acres. Productivity reached 35.59 tonnes per acre, the highest production recorded in 62 years.

But production has declined since then.

In FY25, farmers produced 2.251 million tonnes on 69,198 acres, with productivity falling to 32.54 tonnes per acre.

In FY26, production dropped further to 1.945 million tonnes on 67,757 acres. Productivity fell to 28.70 tonnes per acre, while the target achievement rate stood at only 71.63%.

"Bscic is working to expand cultivable land and develop the salt industry," said Zafar Iqbal Bhuiyan, deputy general manager of the organisation's salt industry development office.

Through 12 salt centres in Cox's Bazar and Chattogram's Banshkhali, Bscic provides farmers with training, loans, technological support and other assistance, he said.

According to a Bscic report, the FY26 salt production season lasted 203 days, from 12 November 2025 to 25 May 2026.

Farmers could not work in the fields due to adverse weather.

The situation became particularly damaging after 26 April, when continuous heavy rain affected salt fields in Chattogram and Cox's Bazar.

This came at a critical time because extreme heat normally allows farmers to harvest salt within four to nine days, compared with around 14 days under normal conditions.

Weather-related disruptions were also recorded in previous seasons. Production was halted for 14 of 201 days in FY22, 19 of 202 days in FY23, 19 of 184 days in FY24 and 16 of 187 days in FY25.

Syed Mostafa Sadik Rizvi, a salt farmer in Moheshkhali, told TBS that he produced around 1,500 maunds of salt from two acres of land during the latest season.

"Despite favourable temperatures, we had to harvest the salt 15-20 days earlier because of rain," he said.

"If the weather had remained favourable, we could have produced 100-150 maunds of salt per kani of land during that period," he added.

Raw salt price rises 50%

The production shortfall has pushed up raw salt prices.

According to Bscic's latest report, raw salt is currently selling at Tk380 per maund, or 40kg, compared with Tk253 a year earlier.

The price has therefore increased by Tk127 per maund, or 50%.

"Production has declined this year because of adverse weather, creating a supply shortfall," said Nurul Kabir, president of the Bangladesh Salt Mill Owners Association.

"The shortage and demand have pushed up salt prices towards the end of the season. The government has taken an initiative to import salt. We hope the situation will remain stable," he told this newspaper.

BSCIC estimates annual salt demand at 2.2-2.5 million tonnes. Processing and iodisation of raw salt result in system losses of 17%-20%.

Demand for iodised edible salt exceeds 800,000 tonnes a year, while industrial demand is around 1 million tonnes.

Around 500,000 tonnes of sulphate and dry sodium sulphate are imported annually for industrial use. These are used in industries including ready-made garments, textiles, detergents and glass manufacturing.

Different forms of salt are required to produce around 120 types of products in Bangladesh, while domestic salt is also used by the leather industry.

Import plan to prevent shortage

The country consumes around 200,000 tonnes of salt a month.

As of 12 September, total stocks of raw salt, including old and new stocks, stood at 526,000 tonnes, while mills held around 150,000 tonnes.

Bscic officials said the existing stock would be insufficient to meet demand until the new production season gets fully underway.

Bangladesh has been importing raw salt for years when necessary to maintain supply. Outside industrial imports, the country last imported 150,000 tonnes of raw salt in FY24.

Bscic officials said import announcements are often made around September and October, when salt prices tend to rise, and concerns over stockpiling emerge. Such announcements also discourage mill owners from creating artificial shortages and raising prices.

Following a meeting this month, the industries ministry recommended importing 150,000 tonnes of salt based on Bscic's demand and stock projections. The proposal is awaiting approval from the commerce ministry.

Sarwar Alam, chief of Bscic's salt cell and general manager of the corporation, said production remains very low at the beginning of the season despite salt cultivation starting in November.

"According to our projections, existing stocks will last until November. But a shortage will emerge from the first week of December," he told TBS.

"If demand is high at the beginning of the season, farmers may harvest immature salt from the fields. This reduces quality and increases system losses," he said.

"These factors have been considered in recommending the import," he added.