BANGLADESH SALT HISTORY

It is difficult to get or find a book about salt industry in Bangladesh there are  very few publications on salt industry if available, they are based on research done in the Indian sub-continent as a whole. Most are also based on a historical approach where Bangladesh was usually only cited as the ‘Bengal region’ in part of a chapter or in a chapter of a book.

Salt in Bangladesh mainly produce by solar evaporations process, drying up seawater by solar heat. Since ancient times where sun shines abundant, most of the world produces of salt in this method as it is the cheapest way to have salt. Salt was manufactured in Bengal as an indigenous product along a line of seacoast areas. In Bengal salt had been primary produced by the Malangies from the seawater.

Since ancient times, most of the world had a history of modest salt taxes. In India salt was taxed as early as the 4th century BC during the period of Chandragupta Maurya. (The Maurya king, Chandragupta ruled India from much of 324 to 301 BC), During Mughals in Bengal there had been a small tax on salt. The salt productions were some sort of government monopoly during the Mughal period. The management was in the hands of zamindars (Land lords); they worked in collaboration with local merchants with advanced payments for salt production. Later Emperor Akbar had issued an order to abolish salt tax; the order was not properly carried out in remote provinces.

Between 1757 and 1765, many Englishmen entered in to the salt trade either directly or indirectly through the brokers. Robert Clive taxed on salt in 1765 and monopolised salt production and distribution.

The Society of Trade formed in 1765 organised British participation in salt industry for the benefit of the officers of the East India Company. Later Lord Warren Hastings, Governor General (1774-1785) imposed a government monopoly in salt and introduced a farming system under which salt mahals were leased out for five years to the highest bidders in auctions. The system was discontinued in 1777 and was replaced by annual contracts. During the period of Warren Hastings, salt tax revenues increased. Cornwallis increased it further since the administration required that extra revenue. An average family of four required 41 pounds of salt per year in 1788 costing 2 rupees, which was two months’ wages for the family at that time. This system continued until 1780, when the Company introduced the agency system under which direct management of salt production by the company was combined with marketing through auction. The system was in operation until the end of the Company's monopoly in 1862.

The revenue administration imposed by the Company, the import of salt from abroad and prohibition of salt production in India practically destroyed the indigenous salt industry. The mounting discontent of the salt producers later led to several movements against the British government.

The Pakistani rulers followed similar policy and held monopoly on salt trade. The relationship between the government and salt producers was not conducive to a healthy growth of salt industry in East Pakistan. Salt manufacturers of the province were worse off especially because of the government's discriminatory policy of protecting the interest of salt manufacturers of West Pakistan.

The formal organisations in charge of development of salt industry were the Directorate of Industries and the Small Industries Corporation.
The salt producing areas were in coastal belt of Chittagong, Noakhali, Barisal and Khulna districts and the offshore lands. Production fluctuated from year to year due to natural calamities, variations in rainfall and changes in the terms of land lease. After liberation of Bangladesh in 1971, the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation took up the task of developing the industry.

It launched a Tk 13 million project supplemented by a subsequent UNICEF assisted Tk 22.6 million programme. The salt production, however, never reached the pre-independence level and was only 696 tons in 1994 necessitating the import of 328 tons. Of the total available quantity of 1,023 tons, 666 tons was for household consumption and the remaining was for industrial purposes, mostly in tannery. (Especially use for dry fish in coastal areas) and manufacture of detergents. The industry faces a number of problems, including difficulties in introducing modern technology, lack of adequate bank finance, poor storage facilities and the conflicts between the producers and the middlemen in salt trading. A major development in the industry is production of iodised salt. A growing reorientation of the consumers toward using iodised salt to prevent goiter, cretinism, dwarfism, and some other diseases contributes to a fast growth of its production and marketing. This is gradually reshaping the salt market including packaging and promotional activities.

Read More:
● Salt History
● History of Salt in Religion
● History of Salt in Warfare
● History of Salt in Politics
● Bangladesh Salt History
● History of Salt in Economics