Africa-Press – Angola. The Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Carmen do Sacramento Neto, stated, this Tuesday, that the entry into operation of the Tchicamby Salt Flats, located in the municipality of Baía Farta, proves the resilience of Angolan operators in the sector.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of this production unit, in the “city of Sal”, the minister highlighted the fact that it is an ambitious project, initiated by young Angolans and which will significantly contribute to offering this product to the national market and beyond.
The Tchicamby Salinas will produce around 50 thousand tons of salt annually and currently employ 320 direct and 135 indirect workers, but they intend to reach 1,000 jobs by the end of the year.
On the occasion, the minister spoke about the importance of salt which, in addition to its use in the food industry, is also a raw material widely used in cosmetics, the oil sector and health.
“In 2022 we had a production of 220 thousand and 932 tons of salt, which exceeded the established target, which was one hundred thousand, but the following year there was a small drop”, he stated.
According to the minister, several reasons were behind this drop, but she is confident in the increase in production this year, with the entry into operation of the Tchicamby Salinas.
“The Government is working on defining and implementing public policies to promote business development, taking into account its administrative and financial sustainability”, he said.
He praised the support from the Angolan Development Bank, which financed this project, which demonstrates confidence in national business, but also helps the sector achieve the desired goals for domestic consumption and beyond.
Carmen do Sacramento Neto also guaranteed that her Ministry will support national production, so that it satisfies internal consumption and that the surplus is for external marketing.
“We have a goal of reaching Namibian production levels, but first, we have to have our feet on the ground and look at our fixed structure, at salt production”, he emphasized.
According to the official, the Ministry is committed to bringing institutional support that will allow the installed capacity of the Tchicamby Salinas, at this stage, to reach a production of four thousand and 200 tons/month, and by the end of the year it can reach 50 thousand and 400 tons.
The Tchicamby salt mines are located in the city of Sal, Chamume area, municipality of Baía Farta, and occupy an area of 280 hectares.
The city of Sal, located 20 kilometers south of the municipal headquarters of Baía Farta, is one of the most ambitious projects to guarantee self-sustainability in the production of this product across the country and occupies an area of around 11 thousand hectares.
Currently, nine salt mines operate in this area, making the province of Benguela the largest salt producer in the country.
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