Unseasonal rains in Kutch cause Rs 35 crore loss to salt cultivators
Updated: Apr 30, 2013 04:31:39pm
From Swati Dayal
New Delhi, Apr 30 (KNN) The unseasonal rains last week in Gujarat’s Rann of Kutch have affected the livelihood of almost 2,000 small and medium salt producers by washing away over 2,00,000 tonnes of salt.
The estimated loss of 80 per cent of total production at about Rs 220 per ton adds up to a loss of around Rs 35 crore, affecting 3200 families.
The unexpected downpour made hundreds of workers evacuate villages close to the salt pans earlier this month when the salt makers were on the verge of harvesting salt.
“The Agariya community lives and works in the desert for 8-9 months of the year. Not only have their makeshift shelters been destroyed, up to 80 per cent (500 tonnes) of their annual salt harvest, some of which was ready to be transported, has been irrecoverably lost. This has resulted in them enduring heavy economic losses,” said Coordinator of Agariya Heet Rakshak Manch, Pankti Jog to KNN.
Agariya Heet Rakshak Manch is an organisation working with traditional salt workers of Gujarat.
Historically, unseasonal rains have only affected small patches of land, and the damage borne by the Agariyas has been minimal. However, recently, the biggest losses arose from the irregular release of fresh water from Narmada into the Rann which has affected close to 1000 families. The damages were not only financial but environmental too as the fresh water might have affected bird nesting sites and migration routes of other animals in the desert,” she added.
“Release of fresh water from Narmada should be done in consultation with the Agariya community to ensure the best schedule and the use of local geographical wisdom to benefit everyone,” Pankti said.
The most affected areas were Kharaghoda, Santalpur, Adesar, Halvad and Maliya where the salt was ready to be transported for processing.
The Agariyas start every season by signing binding contracts with agents for capital in exchange for pre-fixed rates for purchase of salt produced at the end of the season. The amount involved ranges from Rs 1-1.5 lakhs. Although the Agariyas produce more than 25 per cent of India’s salt, their bargaining power is limited, and they often earn as little as 15-22 paise per kilogram of salt. With their harvest washed away and the lack of any sort of insurance, the Agariyas will plunge into deeper debts this year.
“Gujarat government has formed a high level "empowered Committee" headed by Industries minister, to look after the development of the salt industry as well as the welfare of the Agariyas. Although the committee has been supporting welfare measures so far, there is room for further improvement,” Pankti added.
Considering that salt pan workers neither have the benefit of micro-credit facility nor have their crop insured, Agariya has to bear the risk and loss from any such natural calamity like un-seasonal rains and man-made disasters like the sudden release of fresh water from the Narmada Canal into Little Rann of Kutch.
The community has now demanded that the families who have lost their possessions and income owing to the rains should be provided with access to zero-interest credit in order to rebuild their lives.
“Salt production should be insured (as crops are) in order to mitigate such crisis in the future,” Pankti said, advocating their cause.
The community has also demanded that in the long term, the government should facilitate a slow transition from a single crop to multi-crop pattern of salt in close collaboration with premier research institutes to minimize losses by reducing the volume of crops to be recovered at the end of the season.
There are over 2,320 units across 15 districts in Gujarat which manufacture salt. Of them, 1,654 units cultivate salt in less than 10 acres. Salt is cultivated in 425,000 acres of land in the state, and thousands of workers are employed. (KNN)
New Delhi, Apr 30 (KNN) The unseasonal rains last week in Gujarat’s Rann of Kutch have affected the livelihood of almost 2,000 small and medium salt producers by washing away over 2,00,000 tonnes of salt.
The estimated loss of 80 per cent of total production at about Rs 220 per ton adds up to a loss of around Rs 35 crore, affecting 3200 families.
The unexpected downpour made hundreds of workers evacuate villages close to the salt pans earlier this month when the salt makers were on the verge of harvesting salt.
“The Agariya community lives and works in the desert for 8-9 months of the year. Not only have their makeshift shelters been destroyed, up to 80 per cent (500 tonnes) of their annual salt harvest, some of which was ready to be transported, has been irrecoverably lost. This has resulted in them enduring heavy economic losses,” said Coordinator of Agariya Heet Rakshak Manch, Pankti Jog to KNN.
Agariya Heet Rakshak Manch is an organisation working with traditional salt workers of Gujarat.
Historically, unseasonal rains have only affected small patches of land, and the damage borne by the Agariyas has been minimal. However, recently, the biggest losses arose from the irregular release of fresh water from Narmada into the Rann which has affected close to 1000 families. The damages were not only financial but environmental too as the fresh water might have affected bird nesting sites and migration routes of other animals in the desert,” she added.
“Release of fresh water from Narmada should be done in consultation with the Agariya community to ensure the best schedule and the use of local geographical wisdom to benefit everyone,” Pankti said.
The most affected areas were Kharaghoda, Santalpur, Adesar, Halvad and Maliya where the salt was ready to be transported for processing.
The Agariyas start every season by signing binding contracts with agents for capital in exchange for pre-fixed rates for purchase of salt produced at the end of the season. The amount involved ranges from Rs 1-1.5 lakhs. Although the Agariyas produce more than 25 per cent of India’s salt, their bargaining power is limited, and they often earn as little as 15-22 paise per kilogram of salt. With their harvest washed away and the lack of any sort of insurance, the Agariyas will plunge into deeper debts this year.
“Gujarat government has formed a high level "empowered Committee" headed by Industries minister, to look after the development of the salt industry as well as the welfare of the Agariyas. Although the committee has been supporting welfare measures so far, there is room for further improvement,” Pankti added.
Considering that salt pan workers neither have the benefit of micro-credit facility nor have their crop insured, Agariya has to bear the risk and loss from any such natural calamity like un-seasonal rains and man-made disasters like the sudden release of fresh water from the Narmada Canal into Little Rann of Kutch.
The community has now demanded that the families who have lost their possessions and income owing to the rains should be provided with access to zero-interest credit in order to rebuild their lives.
“Salt production should be insured (as crops are) in order to mitigate such crisis in the future,” Pankti said, advocating their cause.
The community has also demanded that in the long term, the government should facilitate a slow transition from a single crop to multi-crop pattern of salt in close collaboration with premier research institutes to minimize losses by reducing the volume of crops to be recovered at the end of the season.
There are over 2,320 units across 15 districts in Gujarat which manufacture salt. Of them, 1,654 units cultivate salt in less than 10 acres. Salt is cultivated in 425,000 acres of land in the state, and thousands of workers are employed. (KNN)
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