Djibouti salt miner eyeing exports to Asia by June 2010

26 June 2009 06:02  [Source: ICIS news]

KUALA LUMPUR (ICIS news)--Salt Investment SA is looking to export salt to Asia by June next year from its new plant located in Djibouti, eastern Africa, the company’s chief executive officer said on Friday.

The 4m tonnes/year salt plant, which utilizes salt resources from Lake Assal in the central part of the country, was currently under construction and was scheduled for completion by the first half of 2010, CEO Daniel Sutton said at the sidelines of the 13th Asian Chlor-alkali Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

“We are looking at exporting about a million tonnes to the US and the remaining three million tonnes to Asia including India,” Sutton added.

India was currently a salt exporter but strong domestic demand could turn it into a net importer after three years, he said.

Djibouti, with a population of only around 600,000, was a relatively little-known country but it was strategically positioned at the mouth of the Red Sea at the Horn of Africa, Sutton noted.

“The first question people often ask me is where Djibouti is but it is actually just four days away (by ship) from India,” he said.

Salt is mainly used for the production of caustic soda and soda ash. Chlor-alkali producers in Asia typically import salt from countries such as Australia, India and Mexico.

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By: Ng Hun Wei
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