Salt farmers in India's Rann of Kutch marshes in search of better lives

By Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI (AA) - The tribe of Agariyas, or salt farmers, of the Rann of Kutch desert in western India, is known for one means of livelihood -- salt production. But, experts and community members say the group needs "special attention" as they continue to remain "neglected."

Rann of Kutch is a seasonal salt marsh located close to the Arabian Sea in the state of Gujarat.

As the largest producer of salt in India, the state has around 10,000 families in the desert who have been salt producers for generations.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency for the World Salt Awareness Week that ends on Monday, activist Pankti Jog, who has been working to empower salt workers in Gujarat, said the workers continue to suffer under poor economic and social conditions.

"They continue to be marginalized socially and economically. Socially, they belong to the denotified tribe, i.e nomadic tribe, and economically they are marginalized as well because the price of their product is low," she said.

Jog said the farmers remain in the loop of "vulnerability" because they do not have access to proper facilities for health, sanitation, or water supply. "Things have changed in the last 15 years but the focus they should have received is not there," said Jog.

She also claimed that the workers are yet unable to exercise their proper rights. "It's always after the efforts of non-governmental organizations and the community members that demands are met," said Jog, underlining the need for "efficient delivery ... at the e-government level so that all programs reach them."

- Special attention

Bhavna Harchandani, a research scholar at the Indian Institute of Technology focusing on the lives of Agariyas, told Anadolu Agency that the basic problems of water and sanitation add to the issues that the salt workers face.

"Lack of water supply pushes salt farmers to live in adverse conditions and not taking regular showers sometimes even for 15 days at a stretch. Hence, many Agariyas suffer from skin lesions and burns from working in salt pans. Apart from that, breathing problems and joint pain is common in both genders of the adult population," said Harchandani, who is based in the city of Gandhinagar.

Studies have shown that the salt farmers suffer from skin lesions, eye problems, and even tuberculosis.

Harchandani noted the farmers work as bonded laborers and that their lives is dependent on the cycle of loans and debts.

"They work for eight months on loans and pay that in the next season. There are no particular programs for Agariyas as such by the government but there are many non-governmental organizations working towards the upliftment of Agariyas," she said.

She added, however, that one of biggest government assistance programs had been the provision of subsidies for solar panels. "The Agariyas has been given a subsidy on solar panels which has somehow uplifted their financial conditions ... as compared to the last five years," she said.

Underlining the lack of opportunity for Agariyas despite their potential, Harchandani said that the group's members are traditionally salt farmers and that providing them community user rights would "further brighten their lives."

The farmers, work for eight months in the desert and go back to their villages during the monsoon, where they spend the rest of the year.

Workers, meanwhile, demand that the government ensures them access to basic facilities.

"We are facing basic day-to-day problems even today, like electricity, water supply, proper washrooms," Misri Shah, a salt farmer in the desert told Anadolu Agency. "Right now, we feel neglected. The government should work harder to resolve basic problems."

- Number of schemes

The Gujarat government, however, has said assistance is being provided for the Agariyas' welfare.

"Keeping in mind the adverse working conditions of these workers, various welfare schemes are being implemented by the State Government since 1991," noted the state's rural workers welfare board, which works for the welfare of rural and unorganized workers.