Rain brings salt pans to halt in Thoothukudi

MADURAI: While the recent spells brought much-needed respite from the unusually humid conditions in September, it rained woes for the salt pans operating in Thoothukudi.

The untimely rains inundated the pans and thereby caused a steep decline in production.

Giving a detailed picture of the current precarious situation of the industry, D Chandra Menon, president of the Tuticorin Small Scale Salt Manufacturers Association (TSSSMA), told DT Next on Wednesday that the average annual production was 20 lakh tonnes. Still, they were able to achieve only about 12 lakh tonnes this year.

The recent rains and the forecast for the days to come was a matter of concern as it had put the salt manufacturers at crossroads on their future course.

“A tonne of manufactured salt fetches anywhere from Rs 2,200 to Rs 3,500 depending on its quality,” he said, adding, “The current decline in production may lead to price rise.” ARAS Dhanabalan, former secretary of the TSSSMA, said, “Production in the 50 per cent of the pans at Tiruchendur, Punnaikayal, Kayalpattinam and Veppalodai nosedived to a significant extent. The present squally weather is a serious blow to the industry as manufacturers only some months back managed to come out of the December 2023 floods,” Michael Motha, a salt manufacturer cum exporter from Thoothukudi, pointed out.

MSP Thenraja, president of the Tuticorin Salt Merchants Association pointing to the Gujarat salt market said, “It’s hard to compete on price since Gujarat, the largest salt producer in India, had captured 60 per cent of Thoothukudi’s market.”