Unseasonal rain halts salt production in Vedaranyam

Trichy: Unseasonal rain has severely disrupted salt production across nearly 9,000 acres of salterns near Vedaranyam in Nagapattinam district, bringing operations to a standstill during what is traditionally the peak summer harvesting season.Salt manufacturers in the region began their annual cycle of production in Feb, relying on the hot, dry summer months for optimal evaporation. However, persistent rainfall in the first half of May has flooded the salt pans, preventing the crucial process of seawater evaporation and formation of salt crystals.Unlike paddy fields, salterns are not equipped with efficient drainage systems, causing rainwater to remain for days until it evaporates naturally or manually pumped out.April was hotter and drier, with an average maximum temperature of 34–35°C and frequent highs reaching 36°C under clear, sunny skies, yielding good salt output.V Lakshmanan, a 44-year-old producer from Agasthiyampalli operating on around ten acres, said, "We were getting a good yield of three to four tonnes of salt per acre in April. But now production has come down to zero due to continuous rain."From May 1 to May 15, the weather shifted dramatically. Average maximum daytime temperature dropped to 32–34°C with frequent rainfall totaling approximately 6-9cm in Vedaranyam. On some days, the maximum recorded temperature was less than 30°C, significantly slowing evaporation.Producers are looking forward to draining and restoring their salterns once the rain ceases. They estimate it will take one to two weeks before operations can resume, provided the weather improves. V Ramachandran from Maniantheevu, a daily wage worker who manages a pan on one acre, said, "Because of the overcast skies and flooded pans, it will take at least another ten days to resume production even if the rain stops completely." With the meteorological department forecasting more rain in the coming days, salt producers and workers expressed concerns, fearing a drop in salt production in the district.Salt production in Vedaranyam is active from Feb to Oct. Small-scale producers operate about 3,000 acres in villages such as Agasthiyampalli, Kodiyakadu, Kailavanampettai, Kadinalvayal, and Kodiyakarai, contributing roughly 2,00,000 tonnes annually. Additionally, two major companies — GHCL and Chemplast Sanmar — manage production on around 6,000 acres.