New ports endager salt industry in AP

New ports endager salt industry in AP
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Highlights

The Andhra Pradesh State government’s proposal to build ports along the coastline poses a major threat to the marine salt industry which till recently was a flourishing industry from Nellore to Srikakulam.

  • Salt production has sharply fallen in recent years
  • Dust pollution from coal, port activities affect it
  • Now facing major threat from proposed new ports

Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh State government’s proposal to build ports along the coastline poses a major threat to the marine salt industry which till recently was a flourishing industry from Nellore to Srikakulam.

Though the centre has fixed a nine-month period for salt production, the low pressure in Bay of Bengal has resulted in reduction of the period of salt production to six months.

The Central Salt commissioner leases out the salt pans running into thousands of acres under its control for the production of salt. Besides, private persons too produce salt in places like Machilipatnam.

But, setting up a new port at Krishnapatnam has reportedly hit the local salt production badly for the last three years. The dust pollution from coal and other port activities impinged on the salt production in the area. Officials in the State ports department deny any negative effect on the salt industry from the port. But, sources in the Regional Office of the Central Salt Commissionerate at Chennai told The Hans India that “Prior to the setting up of Krishnapartnam port there was nearly 400 tonnes of salt production in the area. But for the last two years the salt production has come down to zero level in the area.


The officials further added that the main reason cited by the salt producers in the area was that the dust and pollution caused by the port activities had been turning the salt into black and about 750 acres of salt pans were allocated to the port by the centre.

However, the centre has reportedly asked the state government to show alternative land in lieu of the salt pans but till date the government has not showed even an acre of land to the centre, the officials added.

The Assistant Salt Commissioner in Andhra Pradesh at Kakinada, AK Tewari confirmed that “Due to the dust coming from the Krishnapatnam Port on to the salt, the production has come down to five per cent.” If similar port activity takes place in other coastal parts of the salt industry, it will have an adverse impact on salt production in the state”.

However, a senior official in the state ports department pointed out that the state government is considering taking over nearly 700 acres of government land near Machilipatnam coast for port development works. This land was allocated to a private company for the production of salt.

The actual impact of port activity on the salt industry could be arrived at only after the state government finalises sites for building up new ports, the official said.

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