At present, Shouguang, Shandong, which is known as the largest sea salt production base in China and is known as the wind vane for the price of raw salt in the country, is building six freight yards to establish the original salt reserve mechanism. Raw salt is the main raw material of the “two-alkali” industry. As interdependent companies, whether upstream or downstream, the saline-alkali upstream and downstream companies can rely on the adjustment of market reserves to achieve a win-win situation. Will the contradiction between production and sales imbalances and imbalances in supply and sales over the years be resolved? To this end, the reporter conducted a research interview.

Raw salt accounts for a large proportion of the production cost of “two alkalis”. The average consumption of raw salt for producing one ton of “two alkali” products is about 1.55 tons. The fluctuation of raw salt market and price fluctuations affect the production cost and market of “two alkalis”. Will have a greater impact. The domestic crude salt market experienced several rare supply shortages and drastic fluctuations in salt prices between the second half of 2003 and 2008. Shouguang's original salt production capacity is 10 million tons, accounting for 1/6 of the country's total salt output, leading the country's original salt trend. In 2003, the price rose from less than 100 yuan per ton (pure salt price, excluding tax) all the way to 2004. It reached a record high of 365 yuan per ton in 2004, and the highest price increase was 184.8% year-on-year. After a period of downward adjustment, salt prices began to rise again in the second half of 2007, opening a new round of rising and falling salt prices and continuing to rise to 370 yuan/ton in 2008. At present, the price of salt has rapidly dropped to more than 100 yuan/ton.

"The purpose of establishing the original salt reserve is to act as a leverage to prevent the ups and downs of market prices." Shouguang Salt Bureau Director Li Xianzhong said. With high salt prices, "two alkali" companies cannot afford to bear, and there is no stable supply channel for raw materials; salt prices are low, and the interests of salt farmers are not guaranteed, and both parties are affected. At present, the salt production enterprises are numerous, small, scattered and chaotic. Production and sales rely heavily on intermediate links, information is asymmetric, prices are not transparent, and salt prices are raised when supply falls short of demand. When production exceeds sales, they are dumped at a low price, creating a vicious cycle of reversal of competitive marketing. The ups and downs of salt prices. Therefore, he believes that the establishment of a reserve system can keep the salt price up and down in a rational space, which is a good thing for the “two alkali” companies, salt farmers, and the government to benefit from multiple parties.

It is understood that after the salt industry moved into a market economy, the national reserve salt system was abolished and the balance of production and sales was lost. Practice has proved that completely relying on market regulation can no longer meet the needs of the current salt production and sales situation. The drastically changing market situation calls for an innovative marketing model and establishes a reserve adjustment mechanism of “apology with compensation, balance between production and sales, balanced sales, and protection of supply”. Satisfactory development and coexistence and win-win for the saline-alkali enterprises.

In the first half of last year, in response to the ever-rising salt price and the increasingly tight supply, the “two-alkali” companies specifically explored joint import of industrial salt from India and established a reserve as a “reservoir” to eliminate the tight price of raw materials for enterprises. Yang worry.

From this point of view, the establishment of raw salt reserves should be welcomed by "two alkali" enterprises. However, this is not the case.

"The reserve will affect the market and raise the market price." Luo Peizhong, industrial salt procurement manager of Lianyungang Soda Plant, and Zhao Zhongnian, secretary general of the Shandong Chlor-alkali Association, told reporters. They believe that as long as a reserve, the "two alkali" salt prices will be raised, increasing the company's production costs. Zhao Zhongnian believes that reserves can theoretically be, but the actual operation is unrealistic.

"There is no need for reserve," said Wang Maosheng, manager assistant of Chlor-alkali Branch of Taiyuan Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. He explained that the output of well mineral salt is also very large. China's well salt production accounts for approximately 50% of the total production of industrial salt. Industrial salt meets the requirement of “two alkalis” in terms of quantity, and well mineral salt prices are fully guaranteed. Still relatively modest. Their company currently uses some of Sichuan's wells, Sichuan is more than 1,600 kilometers away from Taiyuan, and the company’s tax-inclusive price is 330 yuan/ton. 500 kilometers away from Taiyuan in Shandong, sea salt to the company's price is 325 yuan / ton, plus 70 yuan per ton of salt water treatment costs, wells and mineral salts in the price than the sea salt has advantages.

Wang Maosheng also believes that salt companies can not rely on reserves and reluctant to sell. For instance, when the price of raw salt rose in the first half of last year, it started to sell at 220 yuan/ton to the factory price, and then it was not shipped at 550 yuan/ton, so it was essentially the salt farmers themselves who had harmed themselves. The market has formed a situation with price and no market, which is not good for salt plants and “two alkali” companies.

Chen Jianhui, deputy general manager of Shanxi Lishe Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., said that the reserve of crude salt is effective for protecting the supply of raw materials for chlor-alkali enterprises, but the reserve's original salt must be able to follow the market, otherwise the price exceeds the affordability of the downstream enterprises and the reserve will lose its significance. .

Qi Limin, secretary general of the Weifang Salt Association, proposed that the saline-alkali enterprises are closely related to each other, and the principle of cooperation should be "enhance quality, ensure supply, and stabilize prices." Stabilizing prices is first and foremost a stable supply channel. Whether or not the existing reserve mechanism can make the salt and alkali enterprises achieve win-win results remains to be tested in practice.