CAIRO - A cold snap sweeping Europe and North America has quadrupled demand for Egyptian salt and doubled its exports, an official has said. "Salt, which is used as a de-icing material during the winter season in Europe and North America has jumped from $13 to $22 per tonne in world markets," said Osama Abdel Aziz, the CEO of El-Mex Salinas Company, a subsidiary of Egypt's Holding Company for Chemical Industries. Global salt prices have been on the rise since the beginning of December due to dwindling salt supplies and higher-than-expected demand. "Salt may hit $26 per tonne soon as bad weather continues in Europe and the US," Abdel Aziz forecast. At least 332 flights were cancelled on Wednesday, three days after the worst December snowstorm to hit New York City in six decades, according to Bloomberg. The disruptions affected the largest and most congested air travel market in the US during one of the busiest times of the year. "De-icing salt is stored or installed in containers on the streets in of the countries suffering from the cold snap to remove snow and ease traffic problems there," Abdel Aziz explained. Salt bins are installed ahead of the winter in Western cities. Each bin contains up to one tonne of salt for clearing snow and ease traffic. El-Mex produces roughly 1.3 million tonnes of salt annually, or 50 per cent of the North African country's output. "With demand exceeding four million tonnes, Egypt misses an opportunity to export more salt and take advantage of world soring prices," he said, adding that salt is used in more than 50 industries. Snow and more frigid temperatures are predicted in many parts of Europe, threatening to prolong chaos at airlines and rail networks and further boost demand for fuel and de-icing salt. This week a large winter snowstorm hit the northeast United States, burying cities in knee-deep snow. Thousands of travellers in Europe and North America camped at airports and at the end of the busy Christmas weekend. In France, suppliers have been unable to ship the salt fast enough to replenish stocks in regions unaccustomed to winter conditions, according to press reports.
