Salt farmers in Lebanon survive the country's crises the good old way

Record ID: 1685808

  • Title: Salt farmers in Lebanon survive the country's crises the good old way
  • Date: 23rd August 2022
  • Summary: ANFEH, LEBANON (AUGUST 12, 2022) (REUTERS) (PART MUTE) VARIOUS DRONE SHOTS SHOWING MAN WORKING IN A SALT EVAPORATION POND (MUTE) VARIOUS DRONE SHOTS SHOWING SALT FARMER, IMAD MALEK, WALKING NEAR SALT EVAPORATION PONDS (MUTE) VARIOUS OF MALEK USING SHOVEL TO COLLECT SALT VARIOUS OF SALT BAGS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SALT FARMER, IMAD MALEK, SAYING: "Salt production back in the
  • Embargoed: 6th September 2022 10:03
  • Keywords: Financial collapse Fuel prices Lebanon Salt production Sustainability
  • Location: ANFEH, LEBANON
  • City: ANFEH, LEBANON
  • Country: Lebanon
  • Topics: Middle East,Society/Social Issues
  • Reuters ID: LVA001988422082022RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:In northern Lebanon, local salt farmer Imad Malek remains one of the few salt producers in the country fighting the extinction of his craft.
    The 27-year-old electrical engineer was born and raised in the coastal town of Anfeh, growing by salt ponds where he was taught swimming by his father at the age of two.
    Malek inherited all the knowledge about salt farming and production from his family.
    “Salt production back in the days used to benefit many families. Local production used to cover national needs and get exported outside Lebanon in the seventies and eighties when the salt production era was at its best. In the nineties the Lebanese state started importing salt and lifted customs fees, so imported salt was cheaper than locally produced salt,” he said.
    Many salt evaporation ponds that existed for centuries, and from which generations have grown making their living, have now been abandoned and barely serve as a tourist attraction.
    But for the remaining few practising this ancient trade, like Malek, Lebanon’s financial meltdown, the on-going crisis, fuel price hikes and power outages has pushed them to re-introduce old eco-friendly traditional salt production techniques at evaporation ponds.
    “In the last two years, we re-installed the water pumping windmill and placed a solar system. We are now 100 percent eco-friendly in all of the salt production processes, we do not need fuel, gas or electricity,” Malek said.
    It takes 20 days for water to evaporate from ponds, leaving crystal coarse salt which is gathered and packed into bags for sale.
    The salt farming process starts in June and lasts till September and almost 300 tons of salt are produced from Malek’s ponds yearly.
    Locally produced coarse salt is mainly used for pickled products and in cheese factories, it also can be used as table salt, but salt farmers nowadays face huge competition from cheaper imported products.
    Locally produced salt costs around $120 per ton, while imported salt is almost $30, Malek said.
    (Production: Issam Abdallah)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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