Ukraine starts importing salt from Africa after facing issues with its production in Zakarpattia

Ukraine is forced to buy technical salt from Africa, as the Bushtyn salt deposit in Zakarpattia Oblast is not operating at full capacity.

Source: Viktor Mykyta, Head of Zakarpattia Oblast Military Administration, in an interview with Ukrinform

Quote from Mykyta: "The situation with Zakarpattia-produced salt is as follows: the company started developing the deposit in 2022, after Russia’s [full-scale] invasion. The work was launched at a very fast pace and problems were constantly arising. These are issues of both the professional level of employees and geological exploration."  

Details: Mykyta said the problem was that the geodesic analysis had not been properly carried out at the time of the launch of the deposit development.

"At first, they did not plan to concrete the mine, but later, when the entrance started to crumble, it was necessary to do so. So they dug anew, installed metal structures, reinforced it, etc.," says Mykyta.

In addition, if the mine starts operating at full capacity, there is a risk that lorries carrying it will destroy the Mukachevo-Rohatyn and Kyiv-Chop motorway.

"This mine's capacity should meet all the country's needs for technical salt. And this is 400,000 tonnes per year. Now imagine that these 400,000 tonnes will be transported from the mine site by lorries..." adds Mykyta.

He added that the authorities are planning to negotiate with Ukrzaliznytsia, a Ukrainian state-owned railway company, to build a separate railway to the deposit.

"There are agreements, but this issue is not resolved today, because the company has used up all its investments," states Mykyta. 

In particular, funds were invested in the construction of a tunnel and a passage to the salt mine. 

"Two tunnels are being built there, one is a backup tunnel, so that if the first one is damaged, work can continue through the backup tunnel and production does not stop. The second tunnel is still unfinished. That's why we are saying now that the company has reached salt and started extracting technical salt," says Mykyta.

It will take another year to set up the infrastructure facilities, conduct additional exploration of the deposit and complete the tunnel. The investor has already spent about 170 million hryvnias (about US$4.5 million) on this project.

The Bushtyn deposit currently produces about 45 tonnes of technical salt per day. If necessary, this figure can be increased to 200 tonnes, which produces 600 tonnes of the salt mixture used to prevent road icing.

"This is enough for Zakarpattia Oblast and neighbouring oblasts. But this amount of technical salt will not cover all the needs of the country," says Viktor Mykyta.

That is why technical salt is currently being delivered from African countries at 2,500 hryvnias per tonne (about US$66).

Before the full-scale war, the cost of a tonne of technical salt from Artemsil, a Ukrainian state-owned salt producer in now-occupied and destroyed Soledar, was 1,500 hryvnias (about US$39). When there was no salt supply in 2022, it was imported at 7,000-9,000 hryvnias per tonne (about US$175-238).

Mykyta stated that the cost of Zakarpattia salt from the Bushtyn deposit is currently 3,000 hryvnias (about US$79) but the quality is significantly higher than African salt.

Quote: "The manufacturer has conducted tests, and it dissolves perfectly. That's why people will buy Zakarpattia-produced salt. Plus, if we take into account logistics, the salt that arrives at the ports will be used somewhere in the south of the country, and we will be able to meet the needs of the western and central regions with our own salt."

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