Rains Lead to Reduction in Salt Harvests

Heavy rainfall in April and May has cut salt production by a third in Kep and Kampot provinces even though farmers extended the harvest season there by a month, farmers said yesterday. Last year, farmers were able to produce about 90,000 tons of salt on 4,500 hectares of land. But production levels this year fell to about 60,000 tons, said Um Chhon, chief of the Kep-Kampot Salt Producers Community. The drop came despite the farmers’ decision to continue harvest an extra month through May to try to cope with the rains. …