Erratic rains hit salt production in Thoothukudi

MADURAI: Unseasonal rains that battered Thoothukudi from Friday night have affected salt production, disrupting the fortunes of manufacturers.

According to D Chandra Menon, president of the Tuticorin Small Scale Salt Manufacturers Association, it may take ten more days to resume production as the salt pans were inundated.

Only around one-fourth of the salt pans went into production mode this year due to erratic rain patterns. Thoothukudi, the Salt Capital of Tamil Nadu, recorded rains on March 2, 12, 19 and 22, considerably affecting the production.

It is to be noted that during the first quarter of the year until March, around 25 to 30 per cent of the annual production is achievable.

However, the annual production rates have been on a declining trend over the last few years. The average annual production of salt is 20 lakh tonnes, but last year, only about 60 per cent was achieved.

By this time, Thoothukudi could have produced about six lakh tonnes of salt, but only around 50,000 tonnes were produced so far this year.

Climate change has resulted in unpredictable weather conditions and in the present situation, merchants are hit hard as a few manufacturers are maintaining low stocks. Thoothukudi has been facing an unprecedentedly low level of stocks this year. Now, the declining stocks have pushed the price of salt up to the maximum of Rs 5,000 a tonne at market, he told DT Next on Saturday.

MSP Thenraja, secretary of the Tuticorin Salt Merchants Association, said to cater to increasing demands, many merchants in Thoothukudi have placed orders to buy bulk quantities of salt in Gujarat, the largest producer in India, as prices are competitively low.