By Muhammad Soban ISLAMABAD, Feb. 15 (INP-WealthPK): Pakistan’s exports of pink salt to the world surged after the slowdown of Covid-19 and has reached $59.67 million. According to the Economic Survey in Pakistan 2020-21, the overall production of the mining industry declined during FY2020-21, but rock pink salt production raised by 5.44 percent. Pink salt is a natural tressure for Pakistan. According to Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC), Pakistan has the world's largest rock pink salt reserves, an estimated 22.2 billion tons. Three varieties of salt reserves including white (sodium chloride), pink (iron), and red (magnesium) are produced in Pakistan. The salt mines are located in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, including Khewra, Makrach, Warcha, Kalabagh, Jatta, B-Kheel, and Karak rock salt mines. According to statistics, the global size of the salt market is about $28 billion. The market is projected to reach $32 billion by 2026. The demand for pink salt is increasing globally. Pink salt is being used to make edible (table and culinary salt), decorative lamps, tiles, bricks, blocks, spa, cosmetics, scrubs, bath soaks, water softening, pool salt, animal lick blocks, nutrition salt, fishery salt, chemical, industrial salt, dicing, and ice-melting salt. The most significant reserve of pink rock salt in Pakistan is Khewra rock salt mine which contains about 6.7 billion tons reserves of pink salt. So far, 220 million tons have been excavated, and 1,000 tons are being extracted on daily basis. Khewra salt mine is also a tourist destination where around 500,000 people visit every year. Pakistan exports rock salt to the world at a low price. About 23 percent of total exports were to India until 2019, before a campaign was launched on social media to stop salt exports to India. India was using Pakistan rock salt; and by branding, it was exporting the commodity to the world as a made-in-India product. One-ton pink salt price is $40 in India, while the European market's price is $300 per ton. Data shows that globally 270 metric tons salt was produced in 2020. The Netherlands, Germany, India, Canada, and the United States are the top salt exporting countries globally, having 43 percent of the market share. Despite having the largest rock salt reserves, Pakistan's share in world salt exports is low. It can only grab 2 percent of the world's share, as depicted in the following chart. Pakistan salt exports have shown positive growth after the pandemic. Salt exports increased 16.80 percent in 2020 as compared to the previous year. After a trade embargo with India since 2019, the US is the top salt export destination of Pakistan, where 24 percent of total exports worth $14.6 million are being shipped as shown in the following table.

Top 5 Destinations of Pakistan Salt Export
Country	Percentage	Volume (million dollars)
US	24	14.6
UK	8.19	4.88
Germany	6.79	4.05
UAE	6.19	3.69
Brazil	5.43	3.24

  Pakistan extracts about 400,000 tons salt every year. Conventional methods, explosives, and drilling is used to extract salt from mines. These methods are out of date and dangerous, which damages the shape of salt. There is a need to use new technologies that are cost-effective and safe in extraction. Pakistan has to shift its strategy from exporting salt in the rock form to the final product. The Pakistan government has decided to launch its own salt brand to ship salt globally as a made-in-Pakistan product. Some companies, namely, RM Salt, Himalayan Decor International (exporting 200 decor products), are still operating their industrial plants and exporting their salt product to the world. The Government of Pakistan has issued 13 new licences to install salt-based industrial plants.