Notwithstanding a large number of sugarcane growers, a flourishing jaggery market and widespread consumption, several districts of Andhra Pradesh continue to make jaggery using chemicals.
In the process of making jaggery farmers use sodium hydrogen sulphite, popular as hydros, caustic soda, urea and even super phosphate spending at least ₹ 500 for one cycle of 1.25 to 1.5 tons of sugarcane juice, says P.V.K. Jagannadha Rao, Principal Scientist (Agricultural Engineering) of Regional Agricultural Research Station, Anakapalle.
Attractive hue
The recovery of jaggery from the juice is generally 10 to 11 % . The chemicals are mainly used to give it an attractive hue.
Under an ICAR project, the RARS designed a protocol for making chemical-free jaggery. The protocol recommends use of juices of lemon, aloe vera and from the leaves of drumstick tree.
Lemon contains vitamin C, drumstick beta keratin and aloe vera antioxidants, among other things, says Dr. Rao.
The RARS has been organising training classes to farmers in batches of 50 to 60 to spread making of chemical-free jaggery covering the north coastal, the Godavari and Chittoor districts.
However, farmers used to make lumps and sell them at the market yard hardly switch over though chemical-free jaggery gets a good price and saves the cost of chemicals, he says. Chemical-free jaggery gets almost double the price.
While local farmers are not able to exploit the demand, product from Mandya and Kolhapur is cornering it.
The Visakhapatnam Super Bazar that runs in the co-operative sector with outlets in rytu bazars and well-known super markets sell it at about ₹70 a kg.
But a handful of farmers have diversified into chemical-free jaggery.
"We use lime and the jaggery is somewhat black in appearance compared to the one in which chemicals are used. We make 1 kg lumps and people buy it retail from us for regular consumption," says 70-year-old Surisetti Appa Rao of Thimmarajupeta in Munagapaka mandal. He and his three brothers cultivate sugarcane in about eight acres.
For two acres about 5000 1 kg lumps are made. Surprisingly, his retail price is less than that of jaggery in shops that comes to traders via the market yard.
Going by quantity, it's a drop in the ocean: the Anakapalle market alone trades in about 40,000 tons of jaggery with a turnover of about ₹140 crore.
According to Dr. Rao, a few others in Vizianagaram district are also making chemical-free jaggery.
