Salt production in Vedaranyam is likely to come down by this year due to intermittent rain and the delayed onset of the harvest season.
Rains are a worrisome factor for the salt industry that depends on sunshine and brine. Since the district will see significant rainfall from the southwest monsoon, the prospects for production of salt in the upcoming months are bleak because of the low intensity of sunshine.
On around 6,000 acres of Vedaranyam, salt is produced on a small scale in villages, including Agasthiyampalli, Kodiyakadu, Kailavanampettai, Kadinalvayal, and Kodiyakarai.
Preliminary work to set up salt pans usually begins in the mid of January, and the everyday production commences in February. However, the salt producers claim that the production is likely to decrease by up to 30% after losing more than a month of productivity because of unseasonal rain and a delay in the onset of the harvest season.
“Loss of productivity for a month would have an impact on the cost of the procurement and that it would also result in losing out on our clients,” said A. Vedarathnam, President, Vedaranyam Salt Manufacturers Association.
The season for producing salt lasts until the beginning of October, but due to the intermittent rain during the previous two months, production will be delayed and there will be a less harvest, he added.
According to the salt manufacturers, during rain, the salt pans will be flooded with water and the brine will get mixed with the pan’s clay and sand mixture. “It will take several days to recover the pans from the rain and will have to carry out preliminary works to set up the salt pans again if the rain is heavy,” said Gopal, who produces salt from about 10 acres.
“The price of a tonne of salt is ₹1,000 and it will hardly climb to ₹10 to ₹15, despite the fact that there is a need for it during the monsoon season,” he added.
