BSCIC urges 7 banks to give loans to salt farmers

Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) on Tuesday urged seven banks in Cox’s Bazar to provide loans to salt farmers at four per cent interest with rebate facility, reports BSS.

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 sent letters to the banks in this regard, said an industry ministry press release today.

. 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 BSCIC’s salt industry development office deputy general manager Muhammad Hafizur Rahman said 28,791 salt farmers are producing salt on 57,722 acres of land in the current 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 production cost. As a result, the domestic agro-based salt industry has suffered severe losses,” the letter added.