THOOTHUKUDI

Salt producers turn to BBC for weather updates

THOOTHUKUDI: While many people sit in front of the television to know the weather forecast, the salt industry in Thoothukudi has minimised its dependence on Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) and with good reason. Being a industry which is entirely dependent on weather conditions, the salt producers now rely more on BBC weather and weather.com to plan their activities.

A Dhanaraj, a salt producer in Thoothukudi told Express that these service providers give more specific and wide-ranging data than the IMD. “Most importantly, the forecast is 90 pc accurate,” he claimed. According to him, the salt industry needs weather forecasts with maximum accuracy and only then, the industry can survive. “I have been observing the weather through internet for the past three years and it has come in handy for my business,” he said, adding, “it is good that even 10-days’ weather forecast is available on these websites, which is more useful.”

“Though not all salt producers in Thoothukudi go online to know weather forecasts, the information is passed on”, he added.

It may be noted that Thoothukud i is the second largest salt producer in India after Gujarat with a production capacity of approximately 20 lakh tonnes. Secretary of Thoothukudi salt manufacturers association, ARAS Dhanapalan told Express that comparison of correct annual weather data would be of immense help in planning purposes and would result in increased productivity. On the current year’s production, he said that approximately 18 lakh tonnes were produced and so far, around 12 lakh tonnes of it was sold with 1 lakh tonne being exported.

“Six lakh tonnes remain and it should be sold before the next salt producing season, which starts by February end,” he added.

S Pechimuthu, another salt producer said that incorrect weather forecast results in hardships, especially to small producers like him. “On many occasions I have suffered losses due to unexpected rainfall, contrary to what was forecast,” he said, adding, “there are also occasions when rain did not fall as forecasted, creating logistics problems.” He demanded that the weather forecast should be more area-specific rather than a general one.