Elmina (C/R), 14, GNA - The management of the Edinaman Salt Industry in Elmina on Thursday sent an urgent SOS message to the government to help it find market for its product to save the industry from collapse.

Mr George Eduafo, the Manager of the industry, told the GNA in an interview that without a ready market, the determination of the government to promote the salt industry as part of the President's Special Initiative (PSI) would not yield good results. He said within the past one year, the industry had lost more than 300 million cedis in revenue due to lack of market. ''Between February and June last year 40 tonnes of salt was sold for 32 million cedis but the same quantity is being sold now for 21 million cedis.''

Mr Eduafo said because there is no price and market policy on the product, salt producers were left at the mercy of middlemen from Niger and Burkina-Faso who buy it at giveaway prices. He called on the government to put in place a salt buying company, just like the cocoa buying cocoa company, to buy salt produced in the country.

Mr Eduafo said with the inclusion of salt in the PSI, many groups and individuals have gone into salt production, resulting in a glut in the Niger and Burkina-Faso markets.

He said there was a ready market in the sub-region, particularly in Nigeria, which could buy all the salt, produced in Ghana but lack of a national salt buying company to export it was hindering enhanced market avenues. Mr Eduafo said the Edinaman Salt Industry has a land area of 157.8 hectares with a work force of 79 and "if nothing is done the industry would be forced to lay of some of its workers".