Salt from the Ebro Delta also sees its sales in the United States slowed by Trump's tariffs

Jordi Marsal/La Ràpita - Salt from the Ebro Delta, which has the United States as one of its main markets, is also not escaping the slowdown in sales due to the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. Infosa, the company that operates the Trinitat salt pans, at the tip of the Banya, expects a 5% drop this year due to the new tariff conditions, after having experienced annual growth of up to 25%. Despite the climate of constant uncertainty, the manager, Manel Salvadó, is confident that the United States will remain one of the company's key foreign markets. This week, work began on the salt harvest, which this year could reach 85,000 tons, limited by the rains of last autumn.

Infosa, which had sold up to a third of its annual production on the North American market, now sees how Trump's tariff impositions could limit its expansion in this country. "We were coming off a series of years in which we had growth of between 20 and 25% and this year we will lose 5%," Salvadó said.

The imposition, initially, of 10% tariffs on imports will significantly increase the selling prices of salt. But that's not all. "It has been all the anxiety, the uncertainty that it generates. Given the uncertainty if today it will be 10% and tomorrow we don't know if it will be 35% but maybe it ends up being 20%, North American customers have ended up being more fearful when it comes to managing orders," he specified.

However, the company believes that its position there continues to be strong and points out that the evolution of foreign sales in recent years makes them see the future with relative optimism. Apart from the United States, France continues to be one of the main destinations for salt from the Delta. Canada and Germany are also joining them as emerging markets.

In fact, according to Salvadó, the good campaigns following storm Gloria have allowed them to recover the previous turnover shock, reaching 16 million euros this year, 10% more than five years ago.

The salting season begins

This week, Infosa has begun the salt harvesting campaign. The initial forecast is between 80,000 and 90,000 tons. A figure that will be below recent campaigns, during which 100,000 tons were exceeded. However, the rains and the impact of last autumn's storm, with 700 liters of accumulated precipitation that affected the quality of the brines in the ponds, led to the forecast of leaner figures at the beginning of the year. The heat of the summer and, above all, the episodes of wind, have helped improve expectations of a lower harvest but within the "standard" average with a quality between "good and very good".

On the other hand, the production of fleur de sel, a highly appreciated gourmet product, is experiencing a good campaign. They expect to get about 30,000 kilos in total. The flor de sal, a very fine layer that forms on the surface of the water, is harvested by hand from May onwards, finishing almost at the same time as the salting. "It has ended up being a very emblematic product for us and ends up being a bit of the flagship of our production", admitted Salvadó.

According to the company, a total of 120 people are participating in this year's salting campaign, including 60 permanent workers, who are organized into four teams to guarantee the continuity of the process with specialized machinery. The forecast is that the process will last for about fifteen days.

Support for the jetty project

On the other hand, Salvadó has been optimistic about the fact that the Ràpita City Council has committed to rebuilding and expanding to other uses the project for a jetty at the tip of La Banya that would allow the salt pans to take their production by sea without depending on the cuts that storms cause on the road that runs through the Trabucador isthmus. The initial proposal was rejected by the Spanish government due to the environmental impact it would have on the natural space.

The reformulation of the project that the Ràpita City Council is working on also includes tourist uses, for research and training. "We help the City Council, we follow its work and we collaborate with whatever is needed. We are a bit in anticipation because we are aware that it is a basic infrastructure for the future development of the salt pans."