Berhampur, April 16: A plethora or reasons, right from lack of marketing opportunities to alleged lack of concern of the government in implementing agricultural power consumption rates for farmers, are affecting salt production in this coastal district.

Salt producers in Humma-Binchannapalli here alleged that seawater salt production in coastal Ganjam district has been in steady decline during the past decade.

About 15 years ago, there were six salt production centres at Surala, Sumandi, Goka and Ganjam (all in Ganjam district), Astarang (Puri) and Balanga (Balasore), across coastal Odisha. But while salt production at Astarang stopped 15 years ago, the Balanga unit was shut seven years ago and the Surala unit last year. Now, salt production is on only at Sumandi and Humma in the district.

"Even a decade ago, about 15,000 tonnes of salt were produced on 500 acres at Humma-Binchannapalli. The amount has now nosedived to 4,000 metric tonnes on 150 acres. The number of salt farmers and labourers has also decreased to 1,000 from 20,000 in a span of just a decade," said secretary of the Humma-Binchannapalli Salt Production and Sale Co-operative Society K. Durjyodhan Reddy.

"Myself and a clerk who are now managing the office have been without salary since 2011. I am also fed up with the job and have applied for voluntary retirement," said he.

Inspired by Gandhi's salt Satyagraha movement, the society has been producing salt since 1946. The society started with 68 worker members in the beginning.

The district's social workers, who had been inspired by Satyagraha, wanted to start a salt workers' co-operative society to break the monopoly of the capitalists and help the poor worker and maintain proper distribution and supply of salt at reasonable prices.

"Many salt farmers have left the profession and have gone out of the state for livelihood opportunities," said N. Budhia Reddy, a salt farmer living at Palibandha.

"Salt producers are suffering because there are not enough sales and marketing opportunities of the product. The state government has closed its eyes on our sufferings. So, we are being forced to leave salt production," he said.

There is no provision of any direct financial assistance by the state or the central governments to the salt farmers in case of any natural calamity.

"The salt farmers incurred a loss of more than Rs 1 crore during cyclone Phailin in 2013. But, there was no compensation for this," said Durjyodhan.

The farmers lift the brine (concentration of seawater) by using electric motor pumps. But, they are charged on industrial power consumption rate instead of agricultural rate. As a result, many are not even able to pay the power bills, he said.

"States such as Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat have introduced borewells in the salt field to lift the brine. But, we are lagging behind," he said.

However, the Ganjam District Industries Centre's general manager P.K. Nayak claimed that the state government was providing all sorts of help to boost the salt industry in Ganjam.

"We are providing assistance for borewells and pump houses and also giving other facilities to the salt farmers," he said.