Ministry of Trade urged to produce salt banks

Salt producers have appealed to the Ministry of Trade and Industry to help establish salt banks at localities where natural and solar salt are produced, to enhance the safe, efficient refinery and iodization of the product. The producers made the appeal at a public forum organised by Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, UNICEF, and the Dangme East Salt Producers Association (DESPA) at Big Ada in the Greater Accra Region. Mr Eric Kpalam, Spokesperson for DESPA, said it was difficult for small and medium-scale salt producers to purchase potassium iodine to iodate salt produced for domestic purposes whilst the right means of iodating salt for human consumption was not known to the members. Mr Ebenezer Asiamah, District Director of Health Services, asked Ghanaians to handle iodated salt with care, explaining that when the product is exposed to the radiation of the sun radiation, the potassium iodine in the product evaporates.