Panic buying of salt continues despite govt claim of enough stock

Despite the government’s claim that the state has enough stock of salt, there has been no let up in panic buying of this essential commodity. Iodised salt packets are vanishing from shop shelves at amazing speed with people more than willing to pay four times its normal price to stock up enough for a possible scarcity.

Panicky people were seen making serpentine queues in front of shops to purchase salt at different places in the state. While things showed signs of easing up in Bhubaneswar, panic buying continued unabated in other parts of the state till Monday evening.

Well past 9 pm on Sunday night, a rumour that salt will no longer be available in the market spread like wildfire. Soon, people thronged the kirana shop in their neighbourhood to buy salt at whatever price the shopkeepers demanded.

Reports said people had to cough up as much as Rs 60 to Rs 70 for a kg of iodised salt at some places.

By this morning, common salt had simply vanished from all provision stores, including shopping malls like Reliance Fresh and the The World. Even the stock of Catch table salt that costs Rs 15 for 100 grams was exhausted in next to no time.

“I don’t know what triggered such panic buying of salt even though the state has enough stock that may cater to the needs of the people for one month. Coming as it does at the height of the potato crisis, this artificial shortage of salt would hit the people really hard,” said Sudhakar Panda, secretary of Odisha Byabasayee Sangha.

According to him, the state requires around 80,000 tons of salt per month while Bhubaneswar alone requires 10,000 tons.

Food and Civil Supplies secretary MS Padhi told reporters today that people need not resort to panic buying because there is plenty of salt stock available in the state. He also said action is being taken against hoarders and unscrupulous traders who are fleecing the consumers.

Odisha procures a negligible quantity of salt against the national average. Ganjam, Balanga in Balasore district and Astaranga in Puri districts are the areas where salt is produced in the state. But the salt industry has completely collapsed in Ganjam district following the recent cyclone and the subsequent floods. The state imports iodised salt from states like Rajasthan and Gujarat to meet its need.

According to data in the Economic Survey of the state for the year 2012-13, the state produced 7,400 metric tonnes of salt in 2011, including 1,690 tons in the cooperative sector and 5,710 tons in the private sector. Similarly, the state procured 14,616 tons in 2010 and 29,995 tons in 2009. The figures shows that salt production is gradually decreasing in the state as the government is not providing enough attention to the industry, which is almost in dying state.

In 2008, the state produced 19,872 tons and 31,615 tons in 2007 while it procured 20,693 tons in 2006 and 56,258 tons in 2005. In 2004, the state produced 19,607 tons and 37,828 tons in 2003.

India is the third largest salt producing country in the world after China and USA.