Chennai: Upbeat after posting a profit of Rs 30 crore in the current year, Amma salt is all set to go national. It has been planned to sell the salt across states and in future to export it to foreign countries.
Tamil Nadu Salt Corporation (TNSC) is planning to launch Amma salt in Delhi, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh shortly, Industries minister P. Thangamani informed the Assembly on Friday.
Amma salt will be unveiled in other states in packets of five and 25 kg to benefit bulk users like hospitals, hostels and hotels. Besides aggressive marketing, TNSC will utilise 5,500 acres for production of the salt.
The production level will go up to three lakh tones in the coming years. Plans are afoot to export the salt to foreign countries. For this purpose, a salt washery is to be installed shortly, he said.
The TNSC sold 1,47,888 tones of industrial grade salt and 40,355 tonnes of fortified salt and made a turnover of Rs 30.31 crore. It launched Amma salt in three varieties during 2014-15 and sold 3370 tonnes. This would help the salt corporation to enhance its profits.
To improve the health parameters and to prevent ailments like hypothyroidism, stillbirth, goitre and mental retardation, sale of iodised salt through public distribution system had been intensified across the state. To benefit heart patients, salt with low sodium had been introduced last year and was doing well in the market, the minister added.
However, according to industries performance review tabled in the assembly both State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (Sipcot) and TNSC had recorded a dip in their profits and production when compared to previous years.
Sipcot in 2013-14 recorded a net profit of Rs 196 crore, but for fiscal 2014-15 the profits dipped to 140 crore. Similarly production of salt had been reducing since 2013, the report said.
