The Agarias, a tribe of salt farmers, have been producing salt in the Little Rann of Kutch desert in India for generations. Despite the harsh environment and low pay (around $4 per ton), over 6,000 families continue to work in the salt pans due to a lack of alternative options. The salt is sold to traders who process and package it, selling it for up to 60 times the price they pay the farmers. The Agarias face numerous challenges, including extreme temperatures, health risks, and limited access to medical care. Historically, the British colonizers exploited the Agarias, classifying them as a "criminal tribe" and controlling the salt trade. Although India gained independence in 1947, the stigma and exploitation continue, with the Agarias still working on land they do not own and facing an uncertain future.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. India is one of the world's largest producers of salt.
2. A third of India's salt production comes from the Little Rann of Kutch desert.
3. Over 6,000 families live in the desert and farm salt by hand.
4. The families are known as the Agarias and have been salt producers in the desert for generations.
5. The air temperature in the desert can reach up to 118 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. The land is so salty that it's 10 times more saline than seawater.
7. The Agarias dig 30 feet into the mud to access the salty brine water underground.
8. Digging wells can take up to a week.
9. The families set up government-subsidized solar panels to power pumps that bring brine water to the surface.
10. The Agarias build salt pans, which are expansive salt flats, by hand.
11. They make 10 to 20 pans and work together as a family to harvest the salt.
12. The farmers release the salty brine water from the wells and it flows between the pans.
13. By the last pan, the water reaches the 24 salinity needed to form big salt crystals.
14. The farmers know the perfect salinity by tasting the water.
15. The salt crystals form over the next few months as the water evaporates.
16. The farmers rake the salt crystals every day for the first three months.
17. The life expectancy of a salt farmer is about 60 years due to extreme temperatures and exposure to acidic subsoil.
18. Many salt farmers become blind from years of working in the bright sun.
19. Accessing medical care is often too expensive for the farmers.
20. The Agarias harvest the salt three times, with the first produce being the best quality.
21. They sell the salt to traders, who then process and package it.
22. The salt is sold as edible powder salt, crystal salt, and used to make soap, detergent, and baking soda.
23. The traders sell the salt for upwards of 60 times what the farmers make.
24. The Agarias have never really had control over the salt they farm.
25. The British classified the Agarias as a "criminal tribe" under the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871.
26. The British owned the land and took the salt to England, processed it, and sold it back to Indians with a heavy tax.
27. The Agarias were not supposed to take their salt out of the region.
28. Mahatma Gandhi organized a 240-mile salt march in 1930 as an act of civil disobedience against the British.
29. After British rule, the Agarias were denotified, but the stigma continues.
30. The Agarias are still working on land they don't own.
31. The government has stopped renewing their leases and most of the area became a protected wildlife sanctuary in 1972.
32. The Agarias are considered illegal salt producers, but the government has an unspoken agreement with the community allowing them to continue farming.
33. The government provides equipment, such as subsidized solar panels and boots, to help the Agarias.