Africa-Press – Angola. A salt refinery, with the capacity to produce 3,500 tons per month, in a private investment of US$5.5 million, was inaugurated this Friday, in the municipality of Viana, in Luanda, by the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Victor Fernandes.
According to the minister, the country needs around 100 industries of this nature and only has four, which is why he appealed to different businessmen to invest in this salt refinery area.
But, according to the minister, the fundamental issue is not the number of refinery factories, but the amount of processing that these industries have.
The promotion of this industry, he added, is of paramount importance because it will help primary producers supplying raw materials who “now can count on this factory, with a view to refining salt with all the quality for human consumption”.
Regarding the self-sufficiency of this product, Victor Fernandes stressed that Angola is not yet self-sufficient in the production of refined salt, but it is in the production of primary salt, without advancing quantities, relying only on a sea coast “that never ends” and favorable climatic conditions.
The infrastructure that started its first phase in November 2022 currently produces a thousand tons of refined iodized salt and generated 50 direct jobs.
The refinery will distribute salt to bakeries and other industries, in packs of 250 and 500 grams, one kilogram and bulk packs of 25 kilograms, with a view to increasing the number of workers to 140.
Speaking to the press, the director general of the refinery, Rajesh Gurbani, of Indian nationality, referred that it was the first time that investments had been made in this area, despite having been in the trade sector for many years, with the aim of replacing products imported for the national production.
According to him, the company has enough transport facilities to purchase raw materials from different parts of the country, with emphasis on the provinces of Bengo and Benguela.
Available data indicate that salt production in Angola was 182.6 thousand tons, between July 2020 and July 2021, equivalent to a growth of 13.5%.
According to data from the Association of Salt Producers and Transporters of Angola (APROSAL), at this time, the country has more than 20 salt pans in operation, distributed across the provinces of Benguela (seven units), Namibe (6) and others operational in Luanda, Zaire, Bengo, Cuanza Sul and Cabinda.
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