Gov`t to Promote Solar Salt on World Market

The Korean government plans to promote domestic solar salt, or sun-dried salt, abroad.

The Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry and the office of ruling Grand National Party lawmaker Kim Hak-yong said yesterday that they will host a launching event for a forum to globalize solar salt at Seoul`s Lotte Hotel.

A group of solar salt producers and food industry experts will discuss at the forum strategies to sell the salt on the global market. They will devise measures to improve substandard facilities for producing solar salt and streamline policies on solar salt.

Solar salt is not recognized as food because it is classified as a mineral.

“Domestic solar salt has 20 percent less sodium chloride, which causes hypertension and obesity, but has three times more potassium and magnesium than foreign salt,” Kim said.

“It has the potential to become a globally recognized salt but we have very poor production facilities because solar salt has been categorized as a mineral for the past 45 years. Therefore, we must immediately improve the facilities and the system.”

Food Minister Chang Tae-pyong said, “We will foster solar salt as a new growth engine. To do so, we will improve production facilities and revise laws while giving it a competitive edge over imported salt by adopting a traceability system, quality control, and strict labeling of country of origin.”

firedy@donga.com