SALT

Indian Minerals
Yearbook 2020
(Part- III : Mineral Reviews)

59thEdition

SALT
(ADVANCE RELEASE)

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF MINES
INDIAN BUREAU OF MINES

Indira Bhavan, Civil Li nes,

NAGPUR – 440 001

PHONE/FAX NO. (0712) 2 565471

PBX : (0712) 2562649, 2560544, 2560648
E-MAIL :cme@ibm.gov.in
Website: www.ibm.gov.in

September, 2021

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 SALT
25 Salt
S alt is the most significant of all the industrial
minerals. Occurrence of rock salt in India is
scanty. At the time of Independence, there used
to be shortfall in production of salt and the same
was met through imports. Since then, India has
made tremendous progress in production of salt,
achievin g self-sufficiency in 1953 and even
started exporting salt to other countries.
Common salt, when pure, is mineral halite
which is an essential item for human consumption.
The per-capita consumption of salt in the country
is estimated to be about 14 kg, which includes
edible and industrial salt. The current annual
requirement of salt in the country is estimated to
be 63 lakh t on nes for ed ible use (in cluding
requirement for cattles) and 118 lakh tonnes for
industrial use.
"Salt is a Central Subject in the Constitution
of India and appears as Item No. 58 in the Union
List of the 7 th Schedule, which reads:
(a) "Manufacture, Supply and Distribution of salt
by Union Agencies; and
(b) "Regulation and control of manufacture,
supply and distr ibu tion of salt by other
agen cies".
The Central Government is responsible for
controlling and regulating all aspects of the Salt
Industry. The Salt Commissioner's Organisation
(SCO), Jaipur, Rajasthan, an attached office under
the Ministry of Commerce & Industry (Department
of Industrial Policy & Promotion), Government of
India, is the Authority entrusted with the above
task. The SCO is responsible for monitoring the
production, distribution, quality, prices, supply
and administration of Salt Cess Act, 1953 and the
Rules, made thereunder.
RESERVES/RESOURCES
As per NMI database, based on UNFC system,
the total reserves/resources of rock salt as on
1.4.2015 has been estimated at 16.03 million tonnes
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in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. The entire resources,
fall under Remaining Resources category.
PRODUCTION AND STOCKS
The rock salt production which was only
130 tonnes during 2019-20 increased by 665% as
compared to that in the preceding year. In th e
current year, production was reported by a single
Publ ic Sector mine fr om Himach al Pra desh
(Tables-1 to 3).
Mine-head closing stocks of rock salt at the
end of the year 2019-20 was 3 tonnes as against 2
tonnes in 2018-19 (Table-4).
T h e a ver a g e da i l y la bour emp loyed i n
rock salt mines during 2019-20 was 27 same as
that in the previous year.
India is the 3rd largest salt (common) produc-
ing country in the world after China & USA with a
production of about 300 lakh tonnes during the
year 2019-20.
Production of salt involves extensive use of
renewable sources of energy. Weather conditions
play an important role in production of salt.
Salt (common) is manufactured mainly by
s ol a r e va por a t i on of s ea wa t er. Se a s a l t
constitutes about 80% of the total salt produced
in the country. Gujarat (81.45%) was the leading
State followed by Rajasthan (8.59%) and Tamil
N a du ( 7 .96 %) . Pr iva te Sec tor c on t r ibute d
sign ifican tlly in the production of salt an d
accounted for 92% of the production. Public/Joint
Sector contributed 1.2% and the rest 6.7% was
from the Co-operative Sector during 2019-20.
The major by-products recovered in the Salt
Industr y a r e gypsum, br omin e, ma gn esium
ch lori de, m a gn es ium sulph a t e, a mmoni um
bicarbonate, soda ash, caustic soda and soda
bicarbonate. The average number of labourers
employed in the Salt Industry during 2017-18 and
2018-19 were 94,225 and 92,474 respectively.
 SALT

Table – 1 : Producers of Rock Salt, 2019-20

Location of mine
Name & address of producer
State Mine Di stri ct

Hindustan Salt Ltd, B- 427, Pradhan Marg, Hi ma chal Dra ng Mandi

Malviya Nagar, Jaipur - 302 017 Pradesh
Raja stha n.

Table – 2 : Production of Rock Salt, 2017-18 to 2019-20

(By States)
(Qty in tonnes; Valu e i n ` '00 0 )

2017-18 2018-19 2 0 1 9 -2 0 (P )
Sta te
Q u a n t it y Value Q u a n t it y Value Q u a n t it y Value

I n di a 47 421 17 160 130 1 4 44

Hi machal Pradesh 47 421 17 160 130 1 4 44

Table – 3 : Production of Rock Salt, 2018-19 and 2019-20

(By Sectors/States/Districts )
(Qty in tonnes; Value in ` '000)

2018-19 2 0 1 9 -2 0 (P )
Sta te
No . of Q u a n t it y Value No . of Q u a n t it y Value
Mi ne s Mi ne s

I n di a 1 17 160 1 130 1 4 44
Publi c Se c to r 1 17 160 1 130 1 4 44
Priv ate Sec tor - - - - - -
Hi machal Pr ade sh/ Ma ndi 1 17 160 1 130 1 4 44

Table – 4: Mine-head Closing Stocks of Rock Salt, 2018-19 & 2019-20

(By States)
( In to n n es)

Sta te 2018-19 2 0 1 9 -2 0 (P )
India/Hi ma chal Pra desh 2 3

MINING
In recent development, Drang Mohal (Bhatog)
Rock Salt Mine, Village Mohal Bhatog, District
Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, of M/s Hindustan Salts
has started production and it produced 130 tonnes
of rock salt during 2019-20. Mining is carried out by
underground semi-mechanised method. The entire
mining area is hill (Govt. waste land) region with no
forest land cover.
USES
Salt, in addition to its culinary and domestic
uses, is also used in meat packing, fish curing & its
preservation, dairying, preservation & processing
of hides, manufacturing of soaps, detergent &
dyestuff, dyein g & finishing of fabr ics,
refrigeration, glazing earthenware, explosives, leather
industries, bakery products, for soil stabilisation, in
manufacturing artificial rubber and as wood

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 SALT

preservative. In agriculture, salt is used for treating 2018-19 was reported. The Bureau of Indian
hay and as a fertilizer for certain crops. In countries Standards (BIS) has revised the specifications of
with cold weather conditions, salt is used in deicing, iodised salt and formulated new specifications for
i.e., removal of snow and ice, from streets and refined iodised salt and Vacuum Evaporated iodised
highways. salt under IS 7224:2006. BIS has prescribed IS
797:1982 (Reaffirmed 2012) as specification of
Industrial Applications
common salt for chemical industries.
Salt is an important raw material used in Chemical
Potassium Iodate Manufacture
Industry. It is used in the production of basic
chemicals like sodium carbonate (soda ash), caustic Potassium iodate, used for fortifying salt with
soda, hydrochloric acid, chlorine, bleaching powders, iodine is produced indigenously, however, iodine, the
chlorates, sodium sulphate (salt cake) and sodium basic raw material for its production is imported. There
metal. These basic chemicals, in turn, are used in the are about 13 potassium iodate manufacturing units,
preparation of various end-products, such as, soaps, registered with the Salt Department.
detergents, chlorinated hydrocarbons and carbon Statewise production of salt (common) during
tetrachloride. Other important applications where salt the year 2018-19 is furnished in Table-5.
is widely used are in food processing; as freezing- Table – 5: Statewise Production of Salt
point depressant in refineries & milk supply schemes; (Common), 2018-19
treatment of industrial wastes; purification of (By States)
drinking water; and manufacture of synthetic indigo, (In lakh tonnes)
explosives, papers, etc. St a t es 2 0 18 -1 9
The rock salt produced from Mandi mines India 2 99.7 8
contains 67.81% NaCl which is not suitable for Andhra Pradesh 4.35
human consumption as the content of sodium Goa 0.01
chloride is low from the required 96% NaCl necessary Gujarat 2 44.1 6
for human consumption. However, this salt finds
Karna taka 0.12
application as essential suppliment in cattle feeds.
Maharashtra 1.39
Iodised Salt Odisha 0.06
The SCO is the nodal agency for monitoring the Rajasthan 25.75
production and quality of iodised salt at the Tamil Nadu 23.87
production level an d ensurin g its equita ble West Bengal 0.09
distribution in the country. Production of iodised Source: Salt Commissioner, Govt. of India, Jaipur, Annual
salt continued its progressive trend and the Universal Re po rt, 2 01 8 -1 9
Salt Iodisation (USI), a programme under National
Iodine Deficiency Disorder Control Programme CONSUMPTION
(NIDDCP) reached new heights. Salt is extensively used in various industries like
Iodised salt is produced by mixing potassium Caustic Soda, Soda Ash, Soaps & Detergents,
iodate with salt using spray, drip feed, dry mixing Chemicals, Water softening plants, dyes etc. The
and submersion processes. Iodisation of salt is Chlor-Alkali Industries, however, are the major
carried out in plants operated by Sambhar Salts Ltd consumer of salt. Various industries in the country
(a subsidiary of Hindustan Salts Ltd), Kharagoda, consumed 110.97 lakh tonnes of salt during the year
Gujarat. SCO has facilitated establishment of 2018-19 as against 118.11 lakh tonnes in 2017-18.
629 salt iodisation units including 132 refineries &
washeries (141.90 lakh tonnes) with an annual TRADE POLICY
installed capacity of 220 lakh tonnes up to March Exports of salt have been brought under Open
2019. Production of 68.29 lakh tonnes of iodised General Licence (OGL) with effect from 25th August,
salt during 2017-18 an d 67.04 lakh tonnes in 1987 vide Ministry of Commerce, New Delhi, Export

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Trade Control Public Notice No. 26-ETC(PN)/87 dated
25 th August, 1987. The Ministry of Commerce,
Government of India, vide Notification No. 482(E)
dated 25th July, 1991 has exempted certain categories
of export from compulsory pre-shipment inspection.
As per Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2015-2020,
exports and imports of rock salt and common salt
(including iodised salt) under Heading no. 2501 are
allowed as 'Free'.
FOREIGN TRADE
Exports
During 2019-20, the exports of salt (other than
common salt) decreased by about 8.42% to about
11.68 million tonnes from about 12.76 million tonnes
in the previous year. Exports were mainly to China
(42%), Republic of Korea (18%), Japan (11%) and
Qatar, Indonesia & Vietnam (5% each). On the other
hands the exports of salt rock increased by more than
five times to 539.86 thousand tonnes in 2019-20 from
123.91 thousand tonnes in 2018-19. The exports were
mainly to Bangladesh (58%) and China (32%).
Exports of salt (other) decreased by 12% to 11.14
million tonnes during 2019-20 from 12.63 million
tonnes in the previous year. Exports were mainly to
China (42%), Republic of Korea (18%), Japan (12%)
and Qatar (5%) (Tables-6 to 8).
Imports
The imports of salts (other than common salt)
decreased by 17% to 65,261 tonnes in 2019-20 from
78,712 tonnes in the previous year. Imports were
mainly from UAE (49%), Pakistan (30%) and Iran
(15%) under Open General Licence (OGL). Similarly
import of salt rock also decreased by 19% to 60,440
tonnes in 2019-20 from 74,457 tonnes in 2018-19.
The imports were mainly from UAE (53%), Pakistan
(31% ) and Iran (15%). On the other hand import of
salt (other) increased by 13% to 4,821 tonnes during
2019-20 from 4,255 tonnes in the previous year.
The imports were mainly to UK (27%), China (17%)
and Pakistan (10%) (Tables-9 to 11).

Table – 6: Exports of Salt (other than common salt)

(By Countries)

20 18-19 ( R) 2 019 -20 (P)

Cou ntry
Qty Value Qty Value
(t) (`’0 00 ) (t) (` ’0 00 )

Al l Co untr i es 12 755 39 1 14 627 30 9 116 81 71 3 1 368 115 1

China 7 1 86 5 7 4 8 0 25 6 2 0 4 8 61 9 9 9 5 0 61 3 5 4

Korea, Rep. of 1 6 00 2 9 1 1 5 00 3 1 4 2 0 59 4 1 7 2 4 06 7 6 5

Japan 1 0 89 1 8 9 1 1 36 6 4 3 1 3 29 0 4 3 1 6 24 4 6 8

Qa ta r 6 6 06 0 7 8 7 31 9 9 5 8 49 8 2 8 8 45 8 9

Indonesia 3 6 84 0 8 3 6 33 2 1 5 7 24 7 8 7 1 00 0 3

Vietna m 5 0 18 5 2 5 7 02 9 2 5 6 24 5 9 5 7 82 6 5

Bangladesh 3 9 75 2 3 5 2 48 0 2 4 7 31 0 0 5 7 47 1 3

Ta iwan 1 5 15 1 6 1 1 52 5 7 2 9 74 7 3 2 8 46 6 6

O ma n 1 0 38 4 1 1 7 94 1 0 1 5 69 0 6 2 4 23 8 1

UA E 1 5 99 1 3 2 2 41 8 8 1 6 80 3 1 2 2 96 2 4

Other cou nt ries 5 3 56 7 6 1 1 14 2 6 3 6 1 58 2 5 1 0 84 3 2 1

Figures rounded off

 SALT

Table – 7: Exports of Salt Rock

(By Countries)

20 18-19 ( R) 2 019 -20 (P)

Cou ntry
Qty Value Qty Value
(t) (` ’0 00 ) (t) (` ’0 00 )

Al l Co untr i es 1 2 39 1 3 1 8 82 5 4 5 3 98 6 1 5 5 89 8 7

Bangladesh 5 9 69 9 7 9 06 4 3 1 04 8 4 3 3 96 1 2

China 6 1 17 2 5 6 78 7 1 7 26 3 5 1 3 02 1 7

Kor ea, Dem. P. R ep. - - 5 5 00 0 3 8 54 2

USA 285 1 0 67 2 290 1 1 46 6

Australia 413 1 1 38 2 119 7 3 45

UA E 156 3 3 14 313 5 6 80

Qa ta r 120 2 1 23 249 3 6 36

UK 82 1 3 41 66 2 8 56

Canada 60 1 9 92 61 2 4 18

Saudi Arabia 25 230 124 2 2 40

Other cou nt ries 1 9 01 2 1 34 9 520 1 4 97 6

Figures rounded off

Table – 8: Exports of Salt (Other) Table – 9: Imports of Salt (other than common salt)
(By Countries) (By Countries)

2018-19 (R) 2019-20 (P) 2018-19 (R) 2019-20 (P)

Countr y Countr y
Qt y Value Qt y Value Qt y Value Qt y Value
(t ) (`’00 0) (t ) (`’00 0) (t ) (`’00 0) (t ) (`’00 0)

All Countries 12631477 14439055 11141853 13122164 Al l Co untr i es 7 8 71 2 4 7 28 8 0 6 5 26 1 4 6 61 7 0

China 7 1 25 4 0 2 7 9 68 8 3 3 4 6 89 3 6 4 4 9 31 1 3 8 UA E ++ 149 3 2 01 4 1 1 72 2 1

Korea , Rep.of 1 6 00 2 9 1 1 5 00 3 1 4 2 0 59 4 1 7 2 4 06 7 6 5 Belgium 62 1 4 48 1 172 7 7 53 1

Japan 1 0 89 1 8 7 1 1 36 5 9 2 1 3 29 0 1 6 1 6 23 7 0 5 Pa kista n 7 5 44 5 2 6 37 5 7 1 9 53 5 6 6 98 9

Qa ta r 6 6 04 8 7 8 7 10 7 6 5 8 47 3 3 8 8 09 5 3 Spain 128 6 5 94 9 135 6 6 73 7

Indonesia 3 6 84 0 8 3 6 33 2 1 5 7 24 7 8 7 1 00 0 3 Ir a n - - 9 7 73 4 0 06 8

Vietna m 5 0 18 4 5 5 6 96 7 6 5 6 24 5 9 5 7 82 6 5 USA 66 1 9 44 2 105 2 4 01 2

Ta iwan 1 5 15 1 6 1 1 52 5 7 2 9 74 7 3 2 8 46 6 6 UK 1 4 99 1 8 12 4 1 2 82 1 4 93 4

O ma n 1 0 37 1 5 1 7 85 0 2 1 5 68 9 7 2 4 19 1 8 Germa ny 328 2 2 60 9 311 1 1 35 2

Bangladesh 3 3 78 2 5 4 4 57 3 8 1 6 26 1 6 2 3 51 0 1 Thai la nd 256 6 5 45 385 1 1 04 8

UA E 1 5 97 5 7 2 2 08 7 3 1 6 77 1 9 2 2 39 4 5 Malaysia - - 442 7 2 55

Other cou nt ries 5 3 30 4 4 1 0 68 8 7 2 5 5 96 8 0 1 0 05 7 0 5 Other cou nt ries 927 6 1 82 3 1 1 08 2 9 02 2

Figures rounded off Figures rounded off

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 SALT

Table – 10: Imports of Salt Rock Table – 11: Imports of Salt (Other)
(By Countries) (By Countries)

2018-19 (R) 2019-20 (P) 2018-19 (R) 2019-20 (P)

Countr y Countr y
Qt y Value Qt y Value Qt y Value Qt y Value
(t ) (`’00 0) (t ) (`’00 0) (t ) (`’00 0) (t ) (`’00 0)

Al l Co untr i es 7 4 45 7 2 5 23 6 1 6 0 44 0 2 2 67 5 8 Al l Co untr i es 4 2 55 2 2 05 1 9 4 8 21 2 3 94 1 2

Belgium 62 1 4 48 1 172 7 7 53 1
UA E - - 3 1 83 9 1 1 64 1 1
Spain 128 6 5 94 9 135 6 6 73 7
Pa kista n 7 4 41 3 2 5 16 5 1 1 9 03 7 6 2 32 2
USA 66 1 9 44 2 105 2 4 01 2
Ir a n - - 9 0 50 3 7 71 9
UK 1 4 99 1 8 12 0 1 2 82 1 4 92 7

Malaysia - - 442 7 2 55 Thai la nd 256 6 5 45 385 1 1 04 8

Australia - - 1 1 7 62 Germa ny 284 2 1 90 3 284 1 0 55 0

China 636 5 7 44 806 6 8 49

Germa ny 44 706 27 802
Israel 32 2 4 83 62 5 1 99
Afghani sta n - - 25 328
Pa kista n 1 0 32 1 2 10 6 498 4 6 67
T u rk ey - - 20 152 Singa pore 70 4 1 32 2 15 4 3 64

UK ++ 4 ++ 7 Other cou nt ries 190 1 2 42 4 1 0 78 1 3 52 8

Figures rounded off Figures rounded off

FUTURE OUTLOOK TPA to 5 lakh TPA by 2017-18 and 10 lakh TPA in

Sambh ar Salts Ltd (SSL) a ppr oximately
produces 2 lakh tonnes of raw salt every year. In
a ddit i on , a pp r oxi m a tel y 40, 0 00 t on n es of
processed salt are also produced.
Plans have been drawn to revive abandoned
infrastructure a nd salt production ar eas and
enhance the raw salt production from two lakhs
next three years time. Schemes are also under
preparation to enhance further capacity of raw salt
production to 10 lakh tonnes per annum.
India is the third la rgest salt (includin g
common salt) producing country in the world (25
million tonnes) after China (63 million tonnes) and
USA (42 million tonnes) with global annual
production being about 285 million tonnes.

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