The State Council's 'Salt industry reform program', originally published 5 May 2016, South China reports, is due to come into effect 1 January 2017.
Measures include
- releasing all salt product price control
- abolishing salt transport permits
- allowing existing fixed-point salt producing enterprise to enter salt distribution
- allowing wholesale salt enterprises to carry on cross-regional business
The reform, argues a Municipal Salt Bureau official, will likely bring about
- lower salt prices in food processing industry
- momentary price rises for packaged salt
- more varieties of salt products
- eventual stabilisation
Salt quality and safety is the main challenge, finds the article. To better supervise food safety
- all units buying salt will be required to sign ‘Salt Safety Responsibility’ documents with supervisory departments
- salt users and retailers and food processing enterprises must buy directly from salt wholesale enterprises
- market supervision departments will strictly investigate and punish behaviour disrupting the markets, as well as illegal salt production and wholesale
Setting up government and corporate social responsibility reserves will ensure secure supplies, advises the article. Reserves (days of supply) will number
- provincial government: 20
- prefecture-level government reserves: 50
- enterprise stock protection: 30
- supply guarantee: 80