Thoothukudi salt market remains sluggish
According to Michael Motha, salt manufacturer-cum-exporter and former Chairman of CII, Thoothukudi, salt production increased by about 30 per cent over the last year, but the market is not up to the mark.
A salt pan in Thoothukudi inundated with rainwater
MADURAI: Salt market in Thoothukudi, the largest producer in Tamil Nadu, remains sluggish, and manufacturers are not so upbeat over the prevailing trend. Prices have been stagnant since October this year.
“During this time last year, a tonne of manufactured salt in Thoothukudi was priced at Rs 5,000 to the maximum. Now, the commodity price has halved to Rs 2,500,” D Chandra Menon, president of Tuticorin Small Scale Salt Manufacturers Association, said on Monday.
Unfortunately, salt lacks demand these days. Usually, demand outpaces supply after the rains and prices go up. Even though Thoothukudi experienced rains as usual in October and November, there was no surge in demand.
According to Michael Motha, salt manufacturer-cum-exporter and former Chairman of CII, Thoothukudi, salt production increased by about 30 per cent over the last year, but the market is not up to the mark. The rainfall did not have much impact, and production extended into the second week of October this year.
Citing these, he said stocks are sufficient due to low demand and will last till March 2026. Much to the delight, the Thoothukudi salt market bolstered after the sudden surge to export a huge volume to Sri Lanka in March and April this year.
“Apart from Thoothukudi, Sri Lanka also relied on Gujarat for salt imports and about one lakh tonnes was shipped to the Island Nation from India,” Motha told DT Next.
MSP Thenraja, secretary of Tuticorin Salt Merchants Association, said almost 70 per cent of Thoothukudi’s salt market has been captured by Gujarat, due to price difference.