Maldivian company, M.Deep Investment has collaborated with a Japanese company to develop the first ever salt factory in Maldives. Construction work of the project has now been commenced in Dhihdhoo, Haa Alifu Atoll.
The Island Council of Dhihdhoo leased the company 15,000 acres of land from the island for 15 years to build the salt factory. The Island Council notes that this investment will not only increase the income of the council but also create new job opportunities for the island population.
Speaking to PSM News on the project, owner of M.Deep Investment which will be operating the salt factory, Hussain Risaal stated that the decision for such an investment in the Maldives was made to use the natural resources available in the country beneficially. He noted that the aim was to introduce a new business.
Risaal further noted that the company commenced the work on the project after testing the quality of the sea salt of the Maldivian Ocean. He highlighted that the test results showed that the Maldivian sea salt is of higher quality and high in health benefits compared to other countries' sea salt.
The factory is being developed to produce salt by naturally drying saltwater using sunlight and heat. Risaal said the construction of the factory will be completed by the end of 2024. He disclosed that 20% of the construction work is completed.
Risaal stated that the company aims to test the product in large production, prior to determining the amount of salt that can be produced by the factory. He added that the biggest advantage of such a factory in Maldives is that the country experiences sunny weather year-round.
Preparing a batch of salt will take up to a week. Dry salt will be prepared after filtering and cleaning the salt from the sea and batches made will be tested monthly batches in Maldives and Japan. Risaal notes that the factory will commence its production with five to six workers.
The factory will be producing three types of salt. These include commonly used salt and salt made using special ingredients. The company also aims to experiment and produce a special salt that can be used for preparing salted fish. M. Deep Investment aims to market the products to resorts and residential islands. The company also aims to build four more factories in different parts of the country if the first factory is successful.