Romania’s salt exports to Central and Eastern Europe, namely Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova, Bulgaria and Poland, have recorded a significant increase this year, the Salrom National Salt Corporation reported on Tuesday, according to Agerpres.

In 2022, the company also increased its production for the domestic market by over 100,000 tonnes from previous years.

„The National Salt Corporation (Salrom SA) also fills in the place left vacant by the Donbas (Ukraine) Salt Authority in Central and Eastern Europe. Hungary has contracted, for this year alone, 200,000 tonnes of salt for snow removal, for which it will pay 10.2 million euros. Total salt exports to Hungary will exceed in 2022, 27 million euros, 10 million more than in 2021. Significant increases in Romanian salt exports in 2022 are recorded in Slovakia as well – over 82,000 tonnes (four times more than in 2021), Moldova and Bulgaria. Also, the amount delivered to Poland has increased,” according to a Salrom press statement.

An increased production for the domestic market by over 100,000 tonnes has led to a doubling of revenues. „We are working in two, even three shifts, in order to be able to deliver what we have contracted,” says Salrom manager Dan Dobrea.

The company also started a series of investment in retooling, with one of the most important purchases being an automated salt mining machinery, worth 18.9 million lei, which has already been moved to the Praid mine and is about to be commissioned. Another similar machine will be purchased for Slanic Prahova.

Salrom SA is the only salt producer in Romania and has approximately 1,500 employees. The company is 51% owned by the Romanian government through the Ministry of Economy, and the rest of the shares are owned by Fondul Proprietatea.

Agerpres