BSCIC urges 7 banks to give loans to salt farmers

Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) has urged seven banks in Cox’s Bazar to provide loans to salt farmers at 4 per cent interest with rebate facility.

The banks are: Sonali Bank Limited, Bangladesh Krishi Bank Limited, Agrani Bank Limited, Janata Bank Limited, Rupali Bank Limited, Basic Bank and Karmasangsthan Bank.

The Salt Industry Development Office of the BSCIC in Cox’s Bazar recently issued letters to the banks in this regard, reports BSS citing an industry ministry press release issued on Tuesday.

The BSCIC urged the Assistant General Managers of Cox’s Bazar branches of the concerned banks to provide loans on easy terms to the salt farmers under the incentive package announced by the Prime Minister.

The letter, signed by Deputy General Manager of BSCIC’s Salt Industry Development Office, Muhammad Hafizur Rahman, said, 28,791 salt farmers are cultivating salt on 57,722 acres of land in the current salt season.

“The salt industry, like many other industries in the country, is suffering because of the coronavirus pandemic,” read the letter.

“Even though the production is going well, farmers are not getting a fair price. At present, the price of salt is about half of the cost of production.

As a result, the domestic agro-based salt industry has suffered severe losses,” the letter added.