The government will fix a minimum price for salt after verifying production costs to ensure growers receive fair returns, Industries Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir told Parliament on Wednesday.

“Farmers are now receiving better prices than they did at the same time last year. The average farm-gate price currently stands at Tk337 per maund, compared with Tk271 during the corresponding period last year,” the minister said.

Replying to a written question from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker Mohammad Zahirul Islam (Chattogram-16), Muktadir said the government has also expanded low-interest loan facilities to support salt cultivation in Cox’s Bazar and Chattogram.

He said 40,150 salt farmers – including 32,410 in Cox’s Bazar and 7,740 in Chattogram – cultivated salt on 67,757 acres of land during the 2025-26 fiscal year, producing 1.945 million tonnes of salt.

The minister said the government is also regulating salt imports by setting import ceilings for industrial use through the Ministry of Industries.

“To prevent the import of sodium chloride under the guise of sodium sulphate or disodium sulphate, laboratory testing is being ensured before customs clearance,” he said.

Muktadir said the government is reviewing import duty rates on salt while providing regular training to farmers to improve the quality of locally produced salt.

On financial support for salt farmers, he said the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) has introduced a Special Credit Programme for Salt Farmers, offering collateral-free loans at a simple interest rate of 5 percent.

“So far, Tk3.25 crore has been disbursed among 677 salt farmers under the programme,” he said.

The minister also told the House that genuine salt farmers are receiving loans at a concessional interest rate of 4 percent through scheduled banks under the Bangladesh Bank’s Agricultural and Rural Credit Policy.