Fishing is one of the most profitable industries in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu. Many fishermen store their fish with ice cubes to protect them from spoilage, until they are brought to the shore. This technique is also helpful in exporting fish to other states and countries. The manufacturing of ice cubes is also quite prevalent in the Rameswaram city of Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu. There are more than 100 companies that are currently operating for this. These ice cubes are formed only in clean water. It takes only 24 hours to prepare ice cubes. Immersing water in a jar followed by a compressor of 50 HP cylinders is what a manufacturer needs to prepare ice creams. With the advent of new technologies, more than 50 HP cylinders are available for making ice cubes in 20 hours. There can be a delay, if there is a power cut. The manufacturers use generators in such conditions.
If the fishermen go to the sea, 500 to 600 ice cubes are sold in a day. Not even 100 bales are sold when there is no fishing. Apart from fishermen, soft drinks such as juice are also sold to shops. A lump of ice can be up to 50 kg. It is sold at Rs 120 to wholesale buyers and Rs 130 at retail. A jar is filled with water for two ice cubes, making a total of 120 jars; 240 ice cubes are made in 24 hours. Manufacturers sell at least 800 ice cubes per day for a good income.
When fishermen cannot go fishing, they tend to use ice cubes made from pure water to store the fish. They keep them in a separate refrigerated room and use them when needed. The ice cube manufacturers also face numerous problems like high electricity tariffs, power cuts, and fishermen’s strikes. It leads to a fall in income. Due to such conditions, the price of ice cubes is likely to increase due to high electricity tariffs.
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