Kampot sea salt

Kampot sea salt (Khmer: អំបិល​សមុទ្រកំពត, French: Sel de mer de Kampot) is extracted from the seawater through salt evaporation ponds in the coastal Kampot and Kep provinces.[1] Salt farms cover around 4,748 hectares of land in both provinces and are owned by 200 families who are members of Kampot-Kep Salt Association.[2]

Baskets of Kampot sea salt with salt evaporation ponds in the background.

The highest quality Kampot sea salt is Kampot Flower of Salt (ផ្កាអំបិលកំពត, Fleur de sel de Kampot), the fleur de sel harvested in small quantities from each pond only during April and May, the warmest months of the year, when there is little to no wind.[3]

History
A woman working the salt fields in Kampot.
Kampot sea salt storage.

Salt production has a long history in the region, but the industry grew rapidly in the 1940s and 1950s. During the Khmer Rouge and the subsequent Cambodian Civil War salt production was nationalized. In 1986, a group of Kampot residents were granted 50 hectares of land by the state and given permission to start salt production as private entrepreneurs.[4]

In 2014, due to the favourable weather conditions and extended harvest season, 147,000 tonnes of Kampot sea salt were collected, almost double last year's harvest of 80,000 tonnes.[5] In 2015, the even longer dry season allowed for the harvest of 170,000 tonnes of salt,[6] increasing the amount of the country's Kampot sea salt reserves to 270,000 tonnes.[7] The amount of harvested Kampot sea salt dropped to 140,000 tonnes in 2016.[8] In 2017, an export contract between local producer Confirel Co Ltd and French company Le Guerandais was signed for 20 tonnes of unprocessed raw Kampot sea salt for a price of 58 USD per tonne, marking the first-ever export contract for a Kampot sea salt producer.[9]

In 2018, to tackle iodine deficiency among its population, the government of Cambodia banned the sale of non-iodized salt in Cambodia from 2019, while salt ionization had already been made mandatory for Cambodian salt producers since 2003.[10]

In the late 2010s, the Cambodian salt producers were reporting that the changing weather patterns and rising sea level caused by global warming were negatively affecting the Kampot salt production.[4] A record low of 18,430 tonnes of Kampot sea salt could be harvested in 2019.[11] Due to the dwindling income some Cambodian salt producers began to sell their salt farms and the children of salt workers were increasingly forced to drop out of school,[12] prompting the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation of Cambodia to set up a working group in 2021 to tackle the issue.[13] In 2022, the ministry presented a 2022–2026 salt development strategy to develop, manage and preserve salt farms, as well improve the economic efficiency of salt production.[14]

See also

References
  1. "How is Kampot Sea Salt Made?". BoTree. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  2. Vannak, Chea (19 February 2020). "Sustainable Salt Production Boosted". Agence Kampuchea Press. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  3. Vanna, Sem (30 May 2019). "High-Quality Kampot Flower of Salt Producers are Turning to Japan and Europe Markets". Cambodianess. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  4. Keeton-Olsen, Danielle (19 September 2019). "Unpredictable Seasons Put Cambodia's Salt on Shaky Ground". Voice of Democracy. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  5. Kimsay, Hor (12 June 2014). "Salt makers shake out a big surplus". The Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  6. Vannak, Chea (31 July 2017). "Salt production in Cambodia still seasonal". Khmer Times. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  7. Sok, Chan (17 July 2015). "Salt stockpiles keep on rising". The Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  8. Vannak, Chea (31 July 2017). "Salt production in Cambodia still seasonal". Khmer Times. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  9. "First salt export deal crystallises". The Phnom Penh Post. 14 February 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  10. Chan, Sok (16 May 2018). "Salt producers told to add iodine or risk losing licence". Khmer Times. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  11. Vannak, Chea (20 February 2018). "Salt production yields hit another record low year". Khmer Times. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  12. Chhorn, Raksmey (2 February 2022). "Salt Workers Worry Their Children Will Drop Out of School — Much Like They Did". Voice of Democracy. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  13. Dara, Mech (22 October 2021). "Another Push for Lucrative Kampot Coastland to Remain Salt-Producing". Voice of Democracy. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  14. Phanet, Hom (8 February 2022). "Ministries to shake up salt sector with new strategy". The Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
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