Pursuant to Decree No.95-CP on the 4th of December 1993 of the Government providing for the functions, tasks, powers and organization of the apparatus of the Ministry of Trade;

Pursuant to Decision No.481-TTg on the 8th of September 1994 of the Prime Minister on the organization and campaigning for the use of iodized salt by the whole population, and assigning the Ministry of Trade with the organization of the production and supply of iodized salt on the national scale;

The Ministry of Trade provides the following guidance on the production and supply of iodized salt to meet the need of the entire population;

I GENERAL PRINCIPLES

1. The Ministry of Trade is responsible to the Government for organizing the production and supply of iodized salt to ensure the need in salt consumption of the people in the whole country. In the immediate future, in 1995, we shall have to strive to meet 70% of the need in iodized salt of the whole population, at a quality standard currently defined (TCVN 5647-1992), i.e. with an iodine content of 50PPM (50th per million) or 500 micrograms per 10 grams of salt.

2. The iodized salt producing businesses shall be placed under the unified management of the Ministry of Trade in terms of general planning and plan of production as well as price, and under the control and supervision of the Ministry of Health in terms of quality of iodized salt circulated on the market.

3. The General Salt Corporation has the responsibility to coordinate with the trade services in the provinces in organizing the production and circulation of iodized salt within the provinces; regulate the supply and demand of iodized salt in the whole country; help the iodized salt producing enterprises outside the General Salt Corporation to organize the production and supply of raw material salt (when necessary) aimed at enduring the quality, and stabilizing the production cost of iodized salt.

4. The iodized salt producing enterprises have the responsibility to constantly improve their production technology, packaging and measurements; diversify food products mixed with iodized salt, in order to meet the need and taste of the consumers and at a reasonable price.

II. ON THE ORGANIZATION OF THE PRODUCTION OF IODIZED SALT

The State-owned businesses at the central and local levels which want to produce iodized salt, must have the prior approval of the Ministry of Trade, and comply with the following requirements:

a/ They have to observe the planning of the iodized salt production network published by the Ministry of Trade. The newly-built iodized salt factories must be located at or near the area producing raw material salt, in order to reduce to the minimum the circulation of white salt from the production area to the consumption area. They must work out the plan for the circulation of the quantity of salt already produced.

The production area of iodized salt must lie far from any noxious environment and at a place of convenient traffic, and be equipped with enough electricity and clean water for the production process.

b/ The mixing of salt with iodine must be done by mechanized means. The production technology and equipment for mixing iodine with slat must be certified by a competent organization, composed of experts of the medical and trade services, under the sponsorship of the health service. At the same time, this technology must be eligible for modernization, in order to raise the quality of product, and eventually to produce iodized grilled salt, refined iodized salt, and ground iodized salt to meet the diversified consumption need of the people.

- The store houses and production factories of iodized salt must ensure sanitation, must be equipped with specialized stores to keep raw material salt in reserve, a workshop for packaging, and store houses for finished products.

c/ It must have a section for quality control, trained technicians, to effect the regime of quality control for each consignment of salt coming off the production line.

The workers assigned to direct production jobs must be equipped with uniforms and hats, and free from contagious diseases.

d/ Iodized salt must be packed in PE bags, ensure sanitation, free from odor, durable and can resist cracks and tear during transportation. The package must be in scribed with the name of the production unit, the date and year of production and the expiry date, with the seal of quality control. The trade mark must be registered at the competent managerial agency as currently prescribed. The salt must be protected by an outer packing cover (for bags of 40-5-kilos).

e/ The localities which want to produce iodized salt must file an application to the Ministry of Trade (Department of Business Management). The Ministry of Trade shall consider the application and, if it agrees, it shall give the permission. The product must be certified by a competent medical agency mandated by the Ministry of Health before it can be circulated on the market.

III. ON THE ORGANIZATION OF THE SALE OF IODIZED SALT

1. The trade service in the provinces shall have to guide and organize the circulation of iodized salt on the following principles:

- In the localities which can produce iodized salt by themselves (under conditions mentioned at Item II), the producing enterprises shall organize the sale of the product, or the State-owned trade units will be assigned to sign contracts with the production units to organize the sale network on the market.

- The localities, which produce iodized salt by themselves, shall agree with the General Salt Corporation to ensure the supply and sale of iodized salt in the localities.

2. About prices:

a/ In the mountainous regions: the price subsidy policy (in transport fee, packaging and mixing cost) shall apply as currently prescribed.

b/ In other regions: the selling price of iodized salt is the market price based on the price of raw material (white salt, packaging...), production expenditures and reasonable profit.

IV. INSPECTION AND IMPLEMENTATION

1. The General Salt Corporation and the localities allowed to produce iodized salt shall strive to put into early operation the iodized salt production factories in order to meet the requirement as instructed by the Prime Minister, which is to organize and mobilize the entire population to consume iodized salt.

2. The trade service in the provinces and cities shall regularly organize the control of the selling price and quality of iodized salt, and the observance of the State policy on the supply of iodized salt to the units, and shall have the responsibility to detect in time the violations for handling. The salt production and supply units (both at the Center and in the localities) shall have to supply fully the necessary date and documents, to create favorable conditions for the control and inspection of the quality and selling price of iodized salt.

3. The decisions on prices of the General Salt Corporation must be sent to the Ministry of Trade and the Pricing Committee of the Government; the production and business units in iodized salt in the localities shall send them to the provincial People's Committees which shall monitor and control the implementation.

Every six months, the localities shall report to the Ministry of Trade (Department for Business Management) on the results of the production and consumption of iodized salt in the locality.

4. This Circular takes effect on the date of its signing. In the process of its implementation, if any problem arises, the units and localities shall report to the Ministry so that it can study to complement and perfect it, to make it more conformable with the practical situation.

For the Minister of Trade

Vice Minister

TRUONG DINH TUYEN