MANILA — An agricultural group on Monday urged lawmakers to amend Republic Act 8172 or An Act for Salt Iodization Nationwide to revive the country’s salt production industry.

According to Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. president Danilo Fausto, the country imports 93 percent of its salt requirement.

"That's why there's a need to amend the law. We have the second longest shoreline in the world. We have 36,000 kilometers of shoreline. It's really embarrassing that we are importing salt from Australia [and] China, and some also in Thailand and New Zealand," he told ANC's "Rundown".

Enacted in 1995, the ASIN law seeks to address the country's micronutrient malnutrition "through the cost-effective preventive measure of salt iodization."

The law requires "all producers-manufacturers of food-grade salt to iodize the salt that they produce, manufacture, import, trade or distribute."

Fausto said the country last year imported 646,000 metric tons of salt, which is the being used as fertilizer for coconut trees.

• DTI says PH's salt supply 'enough'; price hikes were long overdue

Sen. Joel Villanueva has described as "shameful" for the Philippines to import majority of its salt supply despite being an archipelagic country.

He has filed Senate resolution to look into how the government could revitalize the country's salt making industry.

Last week, the Department of Trade and Industry has assured the public the country has sufficient supply of salt even as prices have increased.