Just think, if there is no salt in our food, how tasteless it will taste. Adding salt to food enhances its taste, but how many of us know how salt is cultivated? Salt has been cultivated for thousands of years. The states that mainly cultivate salt across the country include Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Tuticorin region of Tamil Nadu.

Let us tell you, sea water is drawn through canals and spread on the land, this water turns into steam and dries up due to the heat of the sun, after which small grains of salt remain. This is called salt farming. Although this farming is not easy, there is also a risk to life in it. Today we are going to tell you about salt cultivation in the Rann of Kutch, Gujarat. Know how farming is done here. (pic credit: commons.wikimedia)

Salt is cultivated the most in Gujarat.

Kutch in Gujarat is known for its traditional salt production. If seen, Gujarat alone produces 71 percent of salt in the country, due to which it is the largest producer of salt in the country. Gujarat is followed by Rajasthan (17%) and Tamil Nadu (11%). The production of salt in the rest of the country is only 1 percent.

Agria farmers of Kutch, Gujarat

The Rann of Kutch, Gujarat is a seasonal salt marsh located in the Thar Desert, just 10 km from the Arabian Sea in the Gujarat district of India. This is the land of Agaria farmers, who have been living here for centuries, knowing only one means of livelihood – salt production. From the months of October to June, they work day and night under the scorching heat, and produce up to 76 percent of the salt produced in India.

How is salt cultivation done in monsoon?

The Rann of Kutch gets submerged in sea water during the monsoon months. As the water starts receding from October, the Agaria people start making square fields to grow salt. They dig wells to draw out salty groundwater and fill fields where natural evaporation processes leave white crystals. Here white crystals means small grains of salt.

Why do people live in huts near salt farms?

In winter, the harvest season begins in the salt fields. Small grains of raw salt turn silvery white in the sunlight. These grains face a constant temperature of 40 degrees during the day and the temperature here drops to 4 degrees at night. Let us tell you, Agaria farmers live in huts near their salt fields for six to seven months. So that no one can harm the salt cultivation.

Are farmers living shorter lives due to salt farming?

Cultivation of salt is not easy, it is quite difficult compared to other crops. During salt cultivation, farmers have to pay a high price for working in harsh conditions. According to a research conducted by the National Institute of Occupational Health in Ahmedabad, farmers are suffering from skin lesions, serious eye problems and tuberculosis due to the intense reflection of sunlight from the white grains of salt. The salt laborers of Kutch rarely live beyond 60 years.

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If there was no Kutch in Gujarat, the taste of your food could have deteriorated, this is how salt is cultivated here.

Salt is cultivated the most in Gujarat.

Agria farmers of Kutch, Gujarat

How is salt cultivation done in monsoon?

Why do people live in huts near salt farms?

Are farmers living shorter lives due to salt farming?

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