Heavy rain in Marakkanam, Villupuram district, has affected salt production across 2,000 acres, adding to pressure on producers facing a sharp fall in prices this year, according to a report by Dinamalar.
Marakkanam is Tamil Nadu’s third-largest salt-producing centre after Vedaranyam and Thoothukudi. Salt is produced across 2,000 acres operated through Central and state government arrangements, while private producers use another 4,000 acres, the report said.
Salt producers said rainwater and seawater have mixed inside the salt pans, disrupting the production process. Unlike Marakkanam, they said, rainwater and seawater do not generally enter the production areas in Vedaranyam and Thoothukudi, allowing production to continue without the same level of disruption.
The rainfall-related damage comes as producers are already dealing with weaker realisations. A sack of salt that sold for up to Rs 300 last year is selling for about Rs 220 this year, according to the report. The combination of lower prices and production losses has affected salt producers in Marakkanam.
Producers also said salt from Marakkanam is priced lower because its quality is considered inferior to salt produced in Vedaranyam and Thoothukudi. The reported mixing of rainwater and seawater in the pans is a key factor they identified behind the production and quality difference.
The immediate impact is concentrated in the affected production area, but the episode highlights the dependence of salt-making on the separation and management of rainwater and seawater within coastal production zones. The report did not provide details of a government relief measure, drainage intervention or timeline for restoring the affected pans.
