Increase in demand for salt at Vedaranyam following Thoothukudi flooding; prices rise

Prices of edible and industrial salt have soared at Vedaranyam in Nagapattinam district following the increase in demand due to the large-scale inundation of salt pans in rain-battered Thoothukudi district, the leading salt producer in the State.

Prices of edible and industrial salt have soared at Vedaranyam in Nagapattinam district following the increase in demand due to the large-scale inundation of salt pans in rain-battered Thoothukudi district, the leading salt producer in the State.

According to sources, over 30,000 workers were employed in salt pans in the coastal villages of Thoothukudi district, which produces 25 lakh tonnes of salt between March and September every year. Salt manufacturers had stocked up around 10 lakh tonnes of the salt produced to meet the demand during the off-season till February 2024.

Since heavy rains lashed various parts of Thoothukudi district last week, leaving vast swathes of salt pans waterlogged, the merchants were not able to dispatch the stocks to traders. Heaps of salt stored in open areas suffered severe damage in the unprecedented rain. The export of salt from Thoothukudi to neighbouring States suffered a halt due to severe damage to the road network.

As a result of the dip in the supply, the demand for edible and industrial salt has increased in Vedaranyam, the second largest salt producer in the State, next to Thoothukudi. As many as 10,000 workers were involved in producing edible and industrial salt in Vedaranyam and its surrounding villages, including Agasthiyampalli, Kodiyakkarai, and Kadinalvayal in the district.

“On an average, Vedaranyam produces two to three lakh tonnes of edible salt and four lakh tonnes of industrial salt annually from 7,500 acres of salt pans,” says A. Kediliappan of Vedaranyam Salt Manufacturers and Merchants Association.

While a tonne of edible salt was sold anywhere between ₹1,800 and ₹2,000 during normal times, the price has now gone up to ₹3,000 in Vedaraynam following the dip in supply from Thoothukudi. Similarly, a tonne of industrial salt usually priced at ₹3,000, has risen to ₹4,000, said Mr. Kediliyappan, adding at present, Vedaranyam had a storage of around 10,000 tonnes of salt.

The price of edible salt is volatile now and is likely to stabilise by next year, soon after the production starts in March, he added.