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Researcher : Sharifuzzaman Agha Khan
Salt cultivation in Cox's Bazar is now concentrated
in 7 Upazilas viz. Sadar, Ramu, Chakoria, Pekua, Maheshkhali,
Kutubdia, Teknaf and Bashkhali. Salt is produced here
from drying seawater on the land close to the sea. This
is being done mostly through cutting the forest and
making embankments in the 'chars'. The influential people
own most of these land illegally and leases them out
top landless salt farmers. These landless salt farmers
cultivate salt either in leased or sharecropped basis.
Colour of the natural salt is being made whitish by
using 'hydrose' which is a chemical hazardous to human
health. However, there are technologies to produce white
salt without using 'hydrose'. Production of health-hazard
free salt by the landless salt farmers, ensuring fair
price both for the producers and consumers as well as
extending land rights to the landless salt farmers are
the major areas of the project inquiry. Major objectives
of this project are to (i) review the government laws
related to salt land and salt cultivation; (ii) to assess
the feasibility of entering the salt markets by those
who cultivate salt directly; (iii) maintaining a stable
supply and price of salt in the market, undertake steps
so that the salt farmers get fair price as well as ensuring
fair price for the consumers; (iv) ensure marketing
of health-hazard free salt for the consumers; and (v)
survey of salt lands where salt is being cultivated
without hampering the coastal land and mangrove forests.
Methodology of the study include: (i) selection of one
salt centre out of twelve and conducting extensive survey
on different aspects; (ii) collection of information
from 300 salt farmers from 8 Upazilas; and (iii) conducting
focus group discussion with the salt farmers, middlemen,
traders etc.
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