‘Need to create awareness of double-fortified salt’

Salt should be double-fortified with both iron and iodine content, said Managing Director of Tamil Nadu Salt Corporation Har Sahay Meena on Saturday.

Addressing a gathering at the third edition of the Salt Conclave conducted by the Confederation of Indian Industry, he said that double-fortification of salt (DFS) does not have enough awareness among manufacturers. DFS can be taken up at a minimal cost by producers across 30 salt refineries in the State with a capacity to produce 13 lakh tonnes per annum, he said.

Citing reports, he said that 51% of women in India in the age group of 15 to 49 were anaemic due to iron deficiency.

M.G. Venkatesh Mannar, director, India Nutrition Initiative, said that salt has become an ideal vehicle for carrying micro-nutrients like Vitamin B12 and folic acid in addition to iodine and iron content.

Michael Motha, chairman of CII Tamil Nadu Salt Conclave, said that the State should follow Gujarat in taking up mechanisation. “Salt manufacturers have to improve quality of salt and be cost effective to survive in this competitive low margin industry.”

Collector Sandeep Nanduri said that when he met salt pan workers, he came to know that their children were not keen on carrying on with the profession. Although wages were good, he said that the nature of job and various health complications that they face while working in salt pans were discouraging them, which should be addressed.

J. Jeyaranjan, director of Institute of Development Alternatives, said that DFS, as per its current specifications, requires 98 to 99% purity of salt, which limits the number of producers. He said that recent improvements in DFS has reduced issues like change in colour and taste. Further, he said that DFS was available in all districts of Haryana, Tamil Nadu and Tripura under the Integrated Child Development Services. Under mid-day meal scheme, Tripura and TN had implemented DFS while 18 other States used DFS as and when available on a tender-basis.