SALT PRODUCTION ISSUE

[Anchor Lead]

The prices of Korean bay salt continues to plummet, and Bay salt producers on Korea's south coast have decided to suspend salt production in order to demand price stabilization and state funding.

[Pkg]

​A salt farm located on a flatland in a coastal area... This should be the busiest time of the year for salt farmers, but this farm looks deserted. The workers discard carefully, the collected saltwater used to produce salt, then leave. Jeollanam-do Province produces 90 percent of bay salt in Korea. However, the salt farmers here have decided to suspend production and sale.

[Soundbite] KIM BYUNG-HAK(SALT FARMER) : "It has been more than a week now. We are going to wrap it up. I have already paid my workers and sent them away."

The current producer price of bay salt ranges from 1,800 to 2,200 won per 20kg sack. It has been declining every year since peaking at 7,900 won in 2012. The plummeting prices stem from declining salt consumption and the rising imports of cheap salt from China. Salt farmers claim they can only continue salt production if prices rebound to around 4,000 won per 20kg sack.

[Soundbite] PARK HYUNG-KI(SINAN BAY SALT PRODUCER ASSOCIATION) : "We need measures to protect salt producers such as a minimum price guarantee program in order to restore the prices."

Salt farmers are demanding the restoration of the government procurement program, as they would have no other choice but to abandon their farms if salt prices fall further.