Burgos: To revitalize the salt industry in Ilocos Norte and add more value to natural sea salt, a gourmet salt processing and analysis center was formally opened in Burgos town on Tuesday. For the initiative, local makers belonging to the Mariposa Salt Producers Association were trained to process at least five flavored salts: native garlic, black garlic, native garlic-onion, native onion, and gamet seaweed.
According to Philippines News Agency, this development is a significant boost for the local industry, allowing producers to expand their market with new products. "This is a big help for us, and we are so grateful to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for assisting us since the start and until now. Your focus and determination to help us is deeply appreciated," said Larry Baniaga, Mariposa's president, during the blessing, inauguration, and turnover of the center.
The flavored salts are priced at varying levels, with native onion gourmet salt at PHP120 per bottle, native garlic at PHP130, native garlic-onion at PHP140, black garlic at PHP280, and gamet seaweed at PHP220. In contrast, traditional salt is sold at PHP35 to PHP40 per kilo.
With six trained personnel to manage the operation, DOST Regional Director Teresita Tabaog stated in a media interview that the center would serve as a model for salt innovation in other regions. "It started with product development and there are a lot of agencies who want to help like the Department of Trade and Industry, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Mariano Marcos State University, and many others," she mentioned.
Tabaog also highlighted the impact of technological support in enhancing salt production volume by 20 percent and creating value-added products to increase income. The official expressed hope that Mariposa, with its 38 members, would sustain the project by upgrading their skills to remain competitive in the market.
To modernize the salt industry and connect with institutional buyers, the salt makers of Burgos have committed to producing more quality salt to meet increasing demand. Currently, the Burgos salt makers produce about one ton of salt per season, a figure expected to rise with technological innovations and the intervention of various government agencies linked to the One Accelerating Salt Innovations (OneASIN) project initiated by the DOST.
In light of ongoing massive coconut seedling planting nationwide projected to yield billions of additional nuts annually by 2034, the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) anticipates an increased demand for salt. Experts note the use of common salt as a fertilizer is a practical means of increasing coconut production.
In a separate interview, Burgos Mayor Cresente Garcia stated that the local government unit will support the center's operations by deploying at least two municipal government personnel and covering the honorarium of at least six Mariposa members assigned to the facility.
