Adverse weather hits salterns

Prices to increase after New Year:

By Lalin Fernandopulle

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The price of salt will increase by 100 per cent after the Sinhala and Tamil New Year due to the severe shortage in the market following adverse weather conditions that affected the salterns in the country, salt manufacturers said.

A kilogram of salt which was Rs. 10-12 a year ago now ranges from Rs. 35 to Rs. 40. Consumers said that the price of a packet of salt has gone up by almost 100 per cent within a month.

Chairman, the Kingdom of Raigam and Wayamba Salterns (Pvt) Ltd., Dr. Ravi Liyanage said the shortage may not be as bad as traders make out but if steps are not taken to increase production the situation will aggravate next month.

Salt manufacturers attributed the shortage to the adverse weather conditions that prevailed during the past three to four months that affected production.

Sunshine is essential to manufacture salt. Salt is manufactured in arid areas such as Puttalam, Hambantota and Mannar. After the tsunami rainfall in these areas increased from around 900 mm to 1200 mm. Salt manufacture in India too has been severely affected due to the increase in rainfall now recording 1500 mm.

“As a result of the increase in rainfall the manufacture of salt has dropped from 150,000 mt to 100,000 mt during the financial year 2007/2008.

The salterns in Mannar and Elephant Pass do not function properly and the supply had declined due to the terrorist conflict. If rain continues the manufacture of salt will be affected in the next few months”, Dr. Liyanage said.

According to the Meterological Department rainfall will increase in salt producing areas during the year. A long-term solution will be to increase the acreage in the salterns if the country is to be self-sufficient.

While the country’s salt requirement is 150,000 mt per annum production is around 100,000 mt. The maximum yield per acre is 50 mt a year. The yield during the Yala season from January to March is around 15-20 mt and during the Maha season it is 30-35 mt per acre.

He said the shortage of salt was due to low production during this year’s Yala season. Since a saltern takes about five years to reach optimum operational level the capital expenditure is very high.

“The government will have to encourage imports by removing the customs duty and other import levies on salt. The salt industry employs over 10,000 people and with the drop in production they will lose their jobs”, Dr. Liyanage said.

Raigam Salterns will set up a 1,000 acre saltern in Puttalam. The company produced refined table salt and has helped to reduced the quantum of imports by 90 per cent.

“Repeated appeals to the government to provide lands to set up salterns have fallen on deaf ears. If lands were provided the shortage wouldn’t have been so acute”, he said.

Since salt has no substitute the price will not affect the demand. Salt is essential in most food items and it is used as a preservative. He said a curry without salt is similar to a marriage without quarrels.

Salt manufacture drops from 150,000 mt to 100,000 mt during the financial year 2007/2008 due to increased rainfall.