Instead of pepper, Kampot is now known for being a major salt producer. There are more than one thousand hectares of salt fields in Kampot, and it is worth a visit if only to see how salt is produced and processed.
The Process of Salt Production
Salt is produced during the dry months. To make the salt fields, the workers line the bottom of the pools with smooth and hardened clay to make sure that the salt crystals will be clean and easily harvested. When the fields are ready, the workers let seawater fill the pools and leave the sun to do its job, which is to dry them up.
After the water evaporates, more seawater is again added to repeat the process until there’s enough salt to harvest. The workers collect the salt by scraping it off the clay and bring it to warehouses. From there, it will be taken to the factory to be cleaned and for the iodine to be added. The finished product, iodized salt, is then packaged into 50kg sacks for distribution throughout Cambodia and other countries.
How to Find the Salt Fields
There are so many salt fields in Kampot that it’s hard to miss it. Just go on the main road outside of Kampot on the way to Kep. You will see them very near the town.
