SALT FARM The Making of Sea Salt in Thailand
Salt Farming can be found in many places around south-east Asia. In Thailand, The pans are found along the eastern coastal line in province like Chonburi, Samut Phrkan, Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram, down to Phetchaburi which is about two hours drive south west of Bangkok. The farming season starts after the rainy season finishes which is around October - November. This is when the farmers starts preparing the surface of the farm pans and bringing in the sea water. In order to produce salt, the field must be equally into 4 rectangle shaped ponds for each difference stanges. All of them having a different names from 1. Na Khang, to 2. Na Pare, then to 3. Na Dok, and lastly 4.Na Wang. Which the overall process will take around 7 to 9 weeks depending on the heat of the sun and the overall weather.
Na Khang is the first Na (Thai for farm or pond or in the case, the pan) receiving the water directly from the ocean and kept within the pan. Na Khang is the field with low salinity. The farmers call it ‘Nam Shoon’ - which refers to the water with less salt level. The water would be trapped in this pan for around 1 week. Once the concentration of salinity in water began to increase, the water will gradually be release to Na Pare. Na Pare, is the pan where the salt concentration becomes higher. Once a week is up the water will be pass on to the third pan which is Na Dok. The water will also be trapped in Na dok for week untill the salinity rises to 25% (On avaerage, sea water from ocean has a salinity of approximately 3.5% in it). Lastly, at Na Wang, the field will need to be prepared before reciving the water from Na Dok by ‘Kan-King-Na’ which is the method of preparing the suface of the pan to be tight, dry, and sticky. The water will be traped in here for arounf a month until it crytalised.
Once the water dried out and crystalised into salt, the workers comes in and put them in small piles through out the pan and let them set for a few days.
The work starts early in the morning aiming to finish before the temperature rises and gets too hot to work at noon. The workers arrive around 6 a.m. Before getting to work, there is a briefing and planning for the day. The workers would draw out a paper which contains the number of the rows of salt they need to move into ‘Yooung’, a barn where all the salt are stored away from sun and rain. The workers get paid according to the amount of salt they are able to carry from the pan to the barn. The rates typically starts from 35 baht per a pile of salt at the nearest end of the field to the barn. The further the piles are the higher rate the workers will be paid. Once the roles has been assorted to each person, they would get their gear ready and starts pouring the salt into their ‘Boong-Ghi’, an equipment similar to baskets uses to carry the salt.
Bagkok Samut Songkhram Thai Gulf
At Ban Leam, Petchburi and Samut Songkhram is the largest area in Thailand to produced salt direct from sea.While in some places started using wheelbarrows to carry the salt and makes the process faster as they could fit in more and help the workers to handle less weight on their back, but in some places like Ban Leam still uses the traditional Boong-Ghi as their main tool.
Having conversation with the workers, we found out that a lot of them works for many different industry not only just salt. While off salt season, many works in the rice fields planting and cutting the rice in the farm. Some works in the factory in their area to earn some money while off their main job during Thailand rainy season. Some of them starts working since 16 years of age. Once they are strong enough to lift the two Boong-Ghi on their shoulder. Some have been working in the salt farm all their life. Some said it is better than working on construction sites as they do not need to be living in the workers’ campsite or travel far away from home. For salt farming, they could come to work from home as they live in the area then if their work finishes they could leave. The earlier they finish, the earlier they get to go home and rest. Depending on the area they draw out and get to work on, the pay is usually about 500-700 baht a day, which for some people are enought to live on.
Around 30-50 workers come in to a farm to work, the more people, the faster the job get done and the quicker they could move onto the next farm.
The salt are store in the ‘Yooung’ while waiting to be packed or sent off for further processes. The owner of the farm usually tries to get their salt into the shelter as quick as they possbly could because if there’s an odd rain or storm comes in the salt wouldn’t dissolve which would cause a huge lose. After all the efforts and work, everything could melts down the drain if the rain pours down. Typically a pan of salt will produce around 400,000 - 500,000 baht worth of salt.
After all salt are moved into the barn, they will be devided into a different pile to be send off to the next process. Some of them are packed directly into begs for spa to be use as spa salt. Some gets grinded for cooking purposes, some are sent to other facories to be use as an ingredient in various productions.
Loong Tanong, the owner of the salt farm, is weighting and tying up purified salt package for sale. These pachages of salt will be put on the roadside store in front of the farm. Besides working with salt, his hobby is photography.
Pa Nong, wife of Loong Tanong, standing in the front of their roadside salt store, which can be easily spotted when passing by. Pa Nong said she and her husband has been doing the salt farm for 40 years. Nowadays sea salt is becoming less popular since mountain salt is taking place in the market, but still, sea salt still give them good profit.
photographed & edited by
Carla Varani 90610080
Praepisut Peechapat 90610135