Unseasonal Rains Paralyse Gujarat’s Salt Harvest, ₹30 Crore Stock Stranded In Little Rann

Surendranagar: Unseasonal rainfall has brought Gujarat’s salt industry to a standstill, leaving nearly ₹30 crore worth of salt stranded in the Little Rann of Kutch and pushing thousands of traditional salt farmers and traders into crisis. Over the past week, more than 3.5 inches of rain have inundated the Rann in Surendranagar district, where salt harvesting is typically completed before the monsoon sets in. Around 7 lakh metric tonnes of salt, nearly 40% of this season’s stock, remain trapped in the waterlogged flats, with access routes severely damaged.

The fallout has been severe for the 3,500 agariya families who depend entirely on seasonal salt farming. Each family stands to lose an average of ₹50,000 in income, a devastating blow for the community. In response, salt traders held an emergency meeting and agreed to a ₹300 per tonne price hike to absorb some of the projected losses, as per the reports. Contributions are also being pooled from traders, at ₹1 per stranded tonne, to fund the repair of key access roads using earthmovers and heavy machinery. The industry had previously managed to move about 8 lakh metric tonnes, or 60% of the season’s production, to processing centers. But continued rainfall has left the remaining stock vulnerable to erosion or complete loss.

Salt producers and community leaders have urged the state government to act swiftly, calling for both compensation to affected agariya families and long-term infrastructure solutions. Leaders from the Agariya Mahasangh have met with local legislators, demanding compensation for affected families and immediate support for road repair. In some regions, only 20% of the harvest has been transported, with the rest still at risk.

Gujarat produces 76% of India’s salt, and the Little Rann alone contributes over a third of that. The agariyas, who harvest salt through intense manual labour in extreme conditions, have preserved this tradition for generations, but their future grows increasingly uncertain.

With meteorologists forecasting more rain in the days ahead, the salt industry in Gujarat now waits, anxiously and helplessly, for relief from the skies, and support from the ground.