THE House of Representatives said it approved on third reading a bill seeking to revive the Philippine salt industry.
At Monday’s plenary session, the vote was unanimous with 287 legislators supporting House Bill No. 8278.
The proposed measure calls for the creation of a Philippine Salt Industry Development Roadmap (PSIDR), which will propose programs, projects, interventions, and incentives to increase salt production.
The PSIDR also aims to promote public and private investment in salt industry development.
The bill also seeks to create the Philippine Salt Industry Development Council with the Agriculture Secretary as chairman and the Trade Secretary as co-chair.
The bill classifies salt as an agricultural product, giving the Department of Agriculture (DA) jurisdiction over the industry. It is currently overseen by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
All salt produced or manufactured in the Philippines both for the domestic market and for export will be labeled “Made in the Philippines” in a “prominent and conspicuous” manner in compliance with Republic Act No. 7394 or the Consumer Act of the Philippines.
Priority areas for salt production will be provinces with type 1 climates like, namely Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Zambales, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro, Palawan, Antique, and Marinduque.
It also defines small-scale salt farms as being not more than three hectares, medium-scale farms as up to 50 hectares, and large-scale farms as up to 500 hectares. It caps at 1,000 hectares a salt farm owned or leased by an association, cooperative or corporation.
The DA’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources will be placed in charge of applications for salt farm leases under the bill.
The proposed law also gives salt farmers and processors priority access to credit and guarantee schemes from government financial institutions. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz
