Agaria
The Agariya or Agaria is a title of Chunvalia Kolis who are salt farmers in Kutch district of Gujarat, India.[1]
They produce the 30% of the salt of the total of country.[2][3][4] In 2019, Koli Agariyas faces the great loss of salt trade because of the Trade war between China and United States of America.[5] They were listed as Criminal Tribe under Criminal Tribes Act of 1871 by British Indian government because of their rebellions against British rule in India.[6]
The Koli Agariyas were landowners of the land of Little Rann of Kutch but in 1978 this area was declared as Wild Ass Sanctuary by Government of Gujarat and their lands were captured by Gujarat government.[7] Koli Agariyas demanding recognition as farmers and an assurance that they have a legal right on Little Rann of Kutch land for salt farming to get the benefit like agriculture farmers such as money package and relief for natural calamities like flood.[8]
Farming
[edit]
Thousands of Agariya families make a living by manual salt farming in the desert of Gujarat, India.[4] The farming follows a yearly cycle, beginning around October and lasting for about six months.[4] It starts with building a temporary shelter and constructing salt evaporation ponds, followed by pumping high-salinity brine into the ponds, and then raking them daily over the next month as salt crystals form through evaporation, until the harvesting in spring.[4]
The most health risks are associated with the raking, which involves exposure to extreme temperatures, skin diseases caused by the high salinity of the brine water, and loss of eyesight due to the intense brightness of sunlight reflecting off the salt.[4]
The life expectancy of these farmers is about 60 years. As of 2022, the market price received by the farmers was about 2 to 4 US dollars per ton, earning an average farming family around 2,000 US dollars for six months of work.[4]
Clans
[edit]Here are some of the clans used by Agariya title holder Kolis of Kutch,
Classification
[edit]The Koli Agarias are classified as Other Backward Class by Government of Gujarat but in past they were notified as Criminal Tribe.[9]
Organisations
[edit]- Agariya Hitrakshak Manch[2]
References
[edit]- ^ Chandra, Kavita Kanan (24 February 2017). "The salt farmers of wild ass country". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
- ^ a b Kaur, Ravleen. "Gujarat's plan to build Asia's biggest freshwater lake is a threat to Agariya salt workers". Scroll.in. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
- ^ Schooneveld, Inge van (15 February 2018). "The salt farmers of Little Ran of Kutch". Sinchi Foundation. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f 5 Of The Most Dangerous Jobs In The World (Video). Business Insider. 11 September 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2025 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Gujarat Salt Industry Hit By US-China Trade War". Forbes India. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
- ^ "Education in the Desert: Field Notes from the Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat - Bhavna Harchandani". Doing Sociology. 10 April 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
- ^ Deepak, Sharanya. "Will election change fate of the Agariyas of Gujarat?". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
- ^ "Research sweetens deal for saltpan workers". The Indian Express. 26 July 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
- ^ "Lok Sabha polls: Post-Rahul Gandhi visit, Congress all set to hand over salt-pan workers to BJP on platter". Counterview. Retrieved 23 July 2022.