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President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has signed into law the “Philippine Salt Industry Development Act,” which aims to strengthen and revitalize the salt industry in the Philippines as part of the administration’s efforts to promote rural development and increase rural income.

The 23-page law signed on March 11 stated that appropriate technology and research, and adequate financial, production, marketing and other support services will be provided to salt farmers to revitalize the salt industry, attain increased production, achieve salt-sufficiency and become a next exporter of salt.

“It is further the policy of the State to preserve, protect, and rehabilitate the natural environment in the actualization of its developmental policies,” the law stated.

A Philippine Salt Industry Development Roadmap will be formulated and established to ensure the attainment of the objectives of the law, which are aligned with the objectives and continued implementation of Republic Act No. 8172, or “An Act for Salt Iodization Nationwide (ASIN).

A “Salt Council” will also be created to ensure the unified and integrated implementation of the salt roadmap and accelerate the modernization and industrialization of the Philippine salt industry chaired by the Department of Agriculture (DA).

The Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will serve as the vice-chairperson of the Salt Council while representatives from the cooperatives will be chosen by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) from five nominees from Luzon, three from the Visayas and Mindanao.

A complete copy of the law is published on the Official Gazette where functions of the Salt Council are identified along with the Creation of a Program Management Office (PMO), Salt as an Aquatic Resource Product, and other important sections of the law.

The law will take effect 15 days after its complete publication in the Official Gazette, or in two newspapers of general circulation. Presidential News Desk