Pangasinan eyes higher salt production in 2025

BAGUIO CITY — The province of Pangasinan will uphold the root word of its name, "asin" or salt, as it targets producing more tons of salt by 2025.

The Pangasinan Salt Center (PSC), operated in the municipality of Bolinao, is aiming for 8,000 metric tons of salt next year. The PSC's salt production is strengthened by a P50 million allocation this year from the provincial government of Pangasinan.

The PSC was established two years ago under the administration of Pangasinan Governor Ramon Guico III in response to the call of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to revive the country’s salt industry. Guico made the creation and maintenance of the salt farm in Bolinao one of his priority projects.

At present, the PSC salt farm in Bolinao is one of the country's major salt suppliers. This year, the center produced 6,400 metric tons.

Salt production in the province was further strengthened with the granting of P90 million in funding to the Pangasinan State University for its Accelerating Salt Research and Innovation (ASIN) program. The program received the funding through Niche Centers in the Regions for Research and Development (NICER) from the Department of Science and Technology's Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD).

Pangasinan Vice Governor Mark Ronald De Guzman Lambino said the province, together with the provincial government, is balancing the boosting of salt production and the further advancement of the province's salt industry while ensuring the economic development of Pangasinenses.