Gujarat salt producers left out of disaster relief norms despite major economic role, AHRM raises concert

By Jag Jivan 

The Little Rann of Kutch in Gujarat has reportedly witnessed major losses after continuous rains for over 10 days, leading to large salt stockpiles being washed away. Reports from Santalpur suggest that around 300 salt producers (agariyas) and more than one lakh tonnes of stored salt have been submerged or damaged by floodwaters, resulting in losses worth crores of rupees.

The region has been badly affected as water entered storage yards and salt pans. Large heaps of harvested salt dissolved in rainwater, leaving producers in despair.

“This is not the first time,” local salt workers are quoted as saying. They point out that monsoon and untimely rains often damage stored salt. However, no permanent measures or compensation frameworks are in place to protect small producers from recurring losses.

Despite repeated appeals, agariyas claim they have not received any financial assistance. “Nearly 300 salt farmers have lost their entire season’s hard work, but no government support has reached us,” said one salt worker.

As the salt heaps continue to dissolve under floodwater, Santalpur’s salt workers face an uncertain future, struggling to recover from what they describe as one of the worst setbacks in recent years.

Meanwhile, the Agariya Heet Rakshak Manch (AHRM) has raised concern that while there are established guidelines for compensating losses in agriculture, livestock, and homes during natural calamities, no such provisions cover salt producers. Whether during monsoon or unseasonal rains, salt farmers face huge damages to their pans without any relief framework from the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA) or the Relief Commissioner of the Revenue Department.

Salt is not classified as a mineral to be mined but is cultivated through a process similar to agriculture, yet it is placed under the jurisdiction of the mining department. India produces on average around 300 lakh tonnes of salt annually, of which Gujarat contributes 75 to 80 percent, with yearly production ranging between 200 and 240 lakh tonnes. From 2018–19 to 2022–23, Gujarat’s share in national production steadily rose to about 77 percent. On the export front too, India has emerged as a major player, with export values rising from ₹1,958 crore in 2018–19 to ₹5,350 crore in 2022–23, and Gujarat alone accounts for more than 90 percent of this trade.

Despite this scale of production and contribution to the economy, salt farmers remain excluded from disaster relief policies. AHRM, a registered trust working for the development and empowerment of the Agariya community, has underlined this gap. The Manch, founded by the late Dr. Vasant Parikh and later led by Gandhian worker Arvindbhai Acharya, works with nearly 10,000 Agariya families in the Little Rann of Kutch and coastal areas. These families, who depend entirely on salt production for survival, often lose their season’s work to heavy rains and flooding but receive no compensation. Over the years, AHRM has consistently highlighted how salt workers remain outside the scope of welfare schemes and relief measures due to lack of land rights, administrative gaps, and neglect in policy frameworks.

According to the Manch, this exclusion leaves salt farmers among the most vulnerable communities in Gujarat despite their central role in sustaining the state’s and the country’s dominance in salt production and exports. “The salt industry contributes massively to the national economy, but when disaster strikes, salt farmers are invisible in the eyes of the system,” AHRM has said, calling for clear guidelines and relief norms to address the recurring losses faced by producers.