Rajkot: Small salt manufacturers in Morbi and Kutch are scrambling to complete their harvesting before the monsoon, but the cap on diesel supply has disrupted operations, threatening output in Gujarat, which produces about 75% of India’s salt.Marine Salt Manufacturers Association last week made a representation the Morbi district administration stating that the cap on diesel has interrupted production at a critical time. The Maliya and Halvad areas of the district alone make up 30% of the state’s yield.Salt harvesting stops with the onset of monsoon, and the next cycle begins only after the end of the rains, typically in Nov. Small-scale manufacturers are thus rushing to harvest as much as possible before the rains arrive.The association highlighted their logistical constraints. “The industry is currently in its peak season before monsoon rains force production to halt. The heavy machinery required for harvesting — including excavators, bulldozers, tractors, loaders and generators — cannot physically travel to petrol pumps to refuel,” said Dilubha J Jadeja, president of the association.Due to the US-Iran conflict, diesel supply has been restricted to 200 litres per unit, which the representation wants to be lifted. the civil supply department mandated that a maximum of 200 litres of diesel be given in barrels. The same rules apply to salt producers, who get a maximum of 200 litres of diesel in barrels, on furnishing the required documents.The association said earthmovers need 450–500 litres of diesel per day, tractors about 300 litres and generators around 500 litres, making the current cap disruptive.It said that unless diesel is delivered directly to operational clusters, production will fall, in turn affecting raw material supply to the chemical and caustic soda industries.Bachu Ahir, president of the Gandhidham Salt Manufacturing Association, said, “The cap on diesel is statewide, but it has forced some manufacturers to increase rates because of the difficulty we face in arranging diesel.”Morbi district collector Swapnil Khare said, “We have received the representation and I have instructed OMCs (oil marketing companies) to provide as much diesel as possible during the last days of the harvesting season.”
