Due to the favourable weather conditions and the already adapted process of preparing salt, this year's salt harvest has started a bit earlier than usual. The season has only just begun, but according to the deputy head of the Soline company, Andrej Sovinc, they have already produced a few hundred kilograms of salt.

"The quantity of produced salt depends a lot on the weather. We hope for at least 2.000 tonnes, or even two or two and a half times that much," optimistically announced Sovinc, and added that due to last year's catastrophic season they've already spent much of the stored salt from previous years.

In the course of the whole year around 30 salt workers, water operators and maintenance workers are involved the production of salt. Salt pans are also rented to more than 20 contractors.

Produced 11.000 tonnes in 1986
Sovinc explains that much more salt was produced in the old days, when markets were not flooded with cheap refined salt lacking minerals. The produced salt was even sold more easily on the Slovenian market.

In 1986 the Sečovlje salt pans produced 11.000 tonnes of salt, which was able to be sold on the market. Today, salt workers can only dream of such figures. "At that time the state also enabled domestic companies to have a monopoly on the market, and in that way it preserved the company's activities the work places of many. Today, it is no longer that way and now we can produce only as much salt as we're able to sell," explained Sovinc.

The Sečovlje salt pans could produce more salt, but only under the conditions that Slovenians buy their salt. Every Slovenian would have to buy one kilogram of salt, for the salt pans to sell their 2.000 tonne yearly harvest. The company is currently half-way in reaching that goal.

G. K.; translated by K. J