Making natural jaggery

Enterprising farmers are bringing naturally processed jaggery back into the market

Jaggery processing unit. Photos by Pramod Chitturi

Workers prepare jaggery powder. Photo by Pramod Chitturi

Worker processing the jaggery. Photos by Pramod Chitturi

Sugarcane syrup. Photos by Pramod Chitturi

Jaggery processed in a traditional manner. Photo by Srinidhi C V

Natural jaggery blocks. Photo by Srinidhi C V

Jaggery blocks ready for sale. Photo by Srinidhi C V 

Sugarcane field in Chamrajanagara. Photo by Srinidhi C V 

Sugarcane field. Photo by Srinidhi C V 

Jaggery is one of the staple ingredients of Karnataka’s cuisine, and is a must for most traditional sweets. As people increasingly turn to jaggery as a healthier alternative to sugar, there are concerns about adulteration in jaggery processing.

However, some enterprising farmers in the state are challenging the status quo by tapping into the market potential for chemical-free jaggery and have effectively set up an entire value chain — from sugarcane cultivation to jaggery production — in their farms.

Srinidhi C V from Chamarajanagar, an engineer-turned-farmer, has stepped beyond naturally cultivating sugarcane and is processing it into jaggery and other products himself.

“We have to find solutions to farmers’ problems ourselves,” Srinidhi says.

The alemanes (traditional jaggery making units) in Chamarajanagar, like in other districts, are in trouble. Just 36 of 200 units are currently functioning. And the low-price for jaggery in the market often tempts people to adulterate the product.

Chemicals like calcium oxide are used to harden the jaggery and bleaching agents are often used to give the product a golden colour. Sugar, available for a lower price than jaggery, is mixed in to unnaturally heighten its flavour.

“Consumers want jaggery with a golden colour, so chemicals are added. At the end of the day people forget that they consume this item,” Srinidhi says.

At his farm, Srinidhi makes jaggery the traditional way, with zero additives. “We take the sugarcane juice, filter it and just boil it until it thickens,” he says.

This thickened product has a velvety texture and is often dark brown colour. Quality of jaggery and direct marketing have allowed Srinidhi to set his own prices. One tonne of sugarcane is used to produce 100 kg of jaggery, which he sells for Rs 100 per kg.

Ordinary jaggery sells for anywhere between Rs 35 - Rs 50 per kg.

Trial and error

The journey to making the jaggery was not easy. Setting up a processing unit took quite a bit of money. “Marketing is a big challenge and we largely depend on word-of-mouth marketing,” Srinidhi says.

Srinidhi also hit on the idea of making jaggery powder and vacuum packing them into 1 kg units, which substantially increases their shelf life. He also briefly sold sugarcane juice from house to house in his village.

He has also learnt several lessons the hard way. A near-fanatic zeal to go completely organic led him to try manufacturing the jaggery powder without baking soda, an experiment which ended in the loss of nearly 30 tonnes of sugarcane.

“It is impossible to turn jaggery into powder without baking soda as it absorbs moisture and gets spoilt,” he says. “The baking soda gives you the required consistency.”

Strongly chastised by his family, Srinidhi then hit upon the least amount of baking soda required to make a good product using a trial-and-error method.

Manjunath, from Vijayanagar in Bengaluru, has been ordering from Srinidhi for the past two years. “We usually hear all this negative news about jaggery but after seeing Srinidhi’s natural farming setup and processing unit, I found it trustworthy,” he says.

Manjunath’s family has completely replaced sugar with jaggery in their kitchen. “We order 10kg at a time and the product lasts for at least six months,” he says.

Jaggery in Koppal

In Gangavathi in Koppal district, colloquially known as Karnataka’s pesticide belt, another engineer-cum-farmer is also turning to natural jaggery as a financially viable solution. Pramod Chitturi’s family grows sugarcane in about 30 acres of land and their company sells jaggery products in Hyderabad, Hospet and Hubballi-Dharwad.

31-year-old Pramod joined the family-run operation five years ago and grows sugarcane using natural farming methods.

At his farm, Pramod makes five different types of jaggery products — plain jaggery, jaggery powder, granular jaggery, ginger jaggery and sugarcane syrup.

With jaggery, Pramod says things are complicated because it can be hard to differentiate natural stuff from the adulterated product.

“More than 90% of the customers do not know how to judge a food product. A majority of the customers are using jaggery which is chemically adulterated,” he says.

The jaggery’s colour is not a reliable indicator as well, it varies by region and the processing method.

For instance, Pramod makes his jaggery a bit hard “because it lasts longer”.

Now, he sells his product in organic stores in cities around North Karnataka.

“Bengaluru is a very competitive market when it comes to organic products. After trying to get in there, I just concentrated on other places. Hyderabad is a relatively smaller market but it is still developing so it is easier for us to get a foothold there,” he says.

Ultimately, it took him two years to get the product in the market and now, it has reached a point where his batch of jaggery is sold out once prepared. “I usually send a message to my customers once the product is in stock,” he says.

(You can reach Srinidhi on [phone]; Pramod at [e-mail])