Socioeconomic Problems of Marginal Salt Producers- A Study with reference to Tamil Nadu

Abstract

This paper intends to examine the fundamental problem among marginal producers who face an economic decline in their salt production. The fortunes of marginal salt producers are diverging as the gap between technology-driven and traditional production processes widens. In this empirical study producers' problems are analyzed with the socioeconomic status (SES) of marginal producers. A small sample of marginal salt producers is considered for the study and data is collected through questionnaires and interviews. The collected data is analyzed by employing the SPSS. It has been found that gender, age, and marital status have an insignificant relationship with production problems, although education and family size and work experience have a significant relationship. Further, it has been found that unfair access to fair markets, lack of demand, low productivity and product quality are major problems that discourage marginal producers to continue their operations.