SALT PRODUCTION FACILITY. The Department of Science and Technology Ilocos regional office turns over a salt production facility and salt iodizing machine to Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University-North La Union campus- Fisheries Research and Training Institute (DMMMSU-NLUC-FRTI) on July 6, 2022. The facility worth PHP400,000 is expected to boost salt production in the school. (Photo courtesy of DOST Ilocos regional office)
BACNOTAN, La Union – The Department of Science and Technology Ilocos regional office (DOST-1) has awarded a salt production facility and salt iodizing machine to Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University-North La Union campus- Fisheries Research and Training Institute (DMMMSU-NLUC-FRTI) here.
In an interview on Thursday, DOST-1 project assistant Carla Joyce Cajala said the project worth PHP400,000 was a request from the school and part of its network and linkage program.
“It is a grant to the school. Now, they will be able to produce 180 kilograms (kg) of salt per day and 60 kg iodized salt per batch through the iodizing machine,” she said.
Cajala said the project now enables the school to produce iodized salt.
“They used to just produce ordinary (table) salt. The salt iodizing machine that infused the salt with iodine along with the other facilities boost the production of salt of the school,” she added.
Cajala said the salt processing facility was established through the successful collaboration of the DOST, DMMMSU-NLUC-FRTI, Bestmark Agro-Industrial Manufacturing, the only accredited fabricator of the salt processing equipment, and JM Manufacturing, a DOST Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) beneficiary.
“This endeavor is aligned with the country’s aim to support domestic technology development, research, and innovation, by ensuring a conducive policy for the environment, industrial diversification and value addition to commodities,” she said.
Dr. Angelina Gonzales, officer-in-charge of the Office of the Vice President for Research and Extension at DMMMSU, said the organization's initiative in producing iodized salt is commendable because it can aid in tackling malnutrition.
“The innovations should be relevant, resizable according to the needs of the users, and reproducible for different uses,” she said. (PNA)
