Tamil Nadu - Cuddalore   

Tsunami freezes ice-manufacturing industry

By A.V. Ragunathan

CUDDALORE, JAN. 25. The tsunami has had a rather unusual fallout — it has brought to a halt 176 ice block units in Tamil Nadu. Most of the units are located in the coastal districts of Chennai, Kancheepuram, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam and Kanyakumari and cater for fishermen, who have since been rendered jobless.

The average daily production of ice blocks there is 1,750 tonnes, worth over Rs. 12 lakhs. In Cuddalore alone, there are 22 units with the daily transaction exceeding Rs. 1.50 lakhs.

Specialised production

The units specialise in the production of ice blocks, one-metre long and 1.5-foot wide, weighing 50 kg each. Normally, fishermen carry 12-70 blocks to store the catch depending on the distance they travel and the number of days they spend in the sea.

The Tamil Nadu State Ice Manufacturers' Federation secretary, B. Apparsamy, told The Hindu here that this was an indication of how important the ice industry was to the fishing trade.

Since the tsunami, the demand for ice blocks had been nil, he said. A 10-tonne capacity ice factory would require an investment of Rs. 25 lakhs. Most factories were set up with bank loans, he said.

While the production cost worked out to Rs. 600 a tonne, it fetched Rs. 700 in the market. This was a small margin, with which the factory owners met overhead costs. Each unit employed at least 1,000 people, he said.

Mr. Apparsamy said the prospects of the ice industry werelinked to the fortunes of the fishermen. Earlier, the soft drink trade lent some support to the ice factories, but now the companies provided the traders with freezers.

The industries that earlier patronised the ice factories had their own chilling units. Besides, the upcountry fish procurers used despatch trucks fitted with ice plants.

Mr. Apparsamy said the ice factories were now classified small-scale units, and the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board was charging an "industrial tariff of Rs. 5 a unit of power."

Appeal

The federation appealed to the Government to declare the ice units a cottage industry, and bring down the tariff to Rs. 2.5 a unit and waive sales tax.

Mr. Apparsamy said he hoped the Government would concede the demands before "the busy fishing season began in April-May."

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