KRALENDIJK- Island Council Lady Daisy Coffie has recently visited salt producer Cargill to familiarize herself with the activities of the Bonaire company that has been active on the island for 25 years, since 1997.

Cargill has a fairly large Bonairean territory (13%) under its control. The long lease with the Public Entity Bonaire (OLB) will soon expire in 2024, and in connection with this, Coffie finds it interesting to know what the impact of the company is on the island.

During her visit, Coffie was given an explanation about the worldwide activities of Cargill, which is now active in no fewer than 70 countries. With regard to Bonaire, Coffie was given an explanation about the area and their various activities and involvements in this area. For example, Cargill is in charge of the flamingo sanctuary and ensures that these birds are well protected.”

Property

Something that, according to Coffie, attracts attention is that part is leasehold land, but there is also a piece of land that is actually property of Cargill. The beach at the salt pans, known as Pink Beach, is private Cargill property that has been exchanged with the island government from the beginning of modern salt production for the area where the slave huts are located. The tourist road on the south side of our island runs partly over Cargill property,” said the councilor.

“We were also given an explanation about the different ways in which salt is produced and the system that is applied here on Bonaire. The area, the location, the location by the sea and the weather all contribute to a perfect situation for extracting salt here,” says Coffie.

Industrial

The salt produced on Bonaire is of very high quality, not for consumption but for industrial use. It is used as a water softening salt, in the dyeing of textiles in the textile industry and for processing in the petroleum industry.