ISLAMABAD: Following the federal cabinet’s approval of Pakistan Minerals Development Corporation (PMDC) as the registrant agency for rock salt produced in the country, Intellectual Property Organisation (IPO) Pakistan has started the registration process of Geographical Indications (GI) for pink salt.
This will prevent Indian traders to market Pakistani rock salt as Himalayan Pink Salt. Rock salt of Khewra, which, after being traded to UAE, was being re-exported as Himalayan salt of Indian origin.
In this regard, the PMDC has completed the formalities for registration rock salt with the Geographical Indications (GI) registry following which the country will file for registration at foreign markets.
After a delay of two decades, GI rules were formulated in January this year when India applied for an exclusive GI tag for Basmati rice in the European Union (EU), claiming that it was an agricultural produce of India.
According to PMDC officials, rock salt currently not a lucrative commodity for export nor does Pakistan sell the rock salt as a commercial and industrial product; however, after the GI tagging at international markets, Pakistan will be in a position to sign long term sale contracts with buyers abroad.
They added that since there is no sale policy regarding rock salt, most was being exported in rock form to the Middle East where Indian traders would pick it up for exporting to further markets.
Most of the salt bought by Indian traders in UAE is re-exported in small and attractive packs at very high prices to EU, USA and even Far East, with the label showing that it was a product of Indian Himalayas.
Karachi based salt trader, Ahmed Khan, said that there was a very high demand for rock salt world over, not only as table salt but also for industrial usage and as a healing agent by massage centres in Korea and Thailand. “Most of the salt business is the hands of small traders who need investment for packing and other value addition, but they cannot get bank loans etc. without any policy,” Khan added.
