The government has commenced the construction of the largest saltern in the country at Kurumpity in Trincomalee.
The government announced that construction is underway to build the saltern in a 1,800-acre land. Upon completion it is expected to produce 50,000 metric tons of salt per year.
The public venture is a part of the large scale development work to improve infrastructure facilities in the formerly war-torn areas of the country and to provide livelihoods to the people in the area who have faced severe hardships due to the three-decade long war.
According to the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Ministry, the project will generate 800 direct employments and over 1,500 indirect employments. The project will also help reduce the present salt prices.
The government has said that nearly 60% of the current annual salt requirement of the country is produced locally and the remaining 40 % is imported at a cost of nearly Rs .380 million.
