- Jaggery is prepared in many households in the villages of Barkagaon in Hazaribagh district, Jharkhand, without any kind of adulteration or chemicals and is supplied to many states.
- Due to climate change, pest attacks on sugarcane fields are increasing, affecting the juice and sweetness. Additionally, with increasing temperatures and less rainfall more resources are being used, such as water for irrigation.
- Jaggery has social, economic and cultural importance in India. But after the 1960s, the per capita consumption of jaggery decreased while sugar consumption increased.
The wheels of the machine spin fast, making a popping sound. A woman sitting near the machine is rapidly inserting sugarcane between the two wheels of the machine. The juice coming out is being collected in a tin box. Once the juice is extracted, the sugarcane bagasse is placed in the sun to dry. It will be used as fuel later.
Right in front of the machine, four huge furnaces made of brick and clay are burning vigorously. The heat from these furnaces attempts to escape from the huge cauldrons placed on them. Arun Kumar, who hails from Gondalpura village in Jharkhand and his family members are working hard and fast – one person places bagasse in the furnaces, while another removes the impurities from the juice with an iron grate and yet another stirs the thickening juice with a wooden spatula.
When you inhale the hot steam rising from the wok, you know that what is being made is special and delicious. This is pure jaggery made in many villages of Barkagaon block of Jharkhand and is supplied to many other states.
The preparation of pure jaggery
Barkagaon, which falls in the Damodar river valley, is famous for paddy, sugarcane, vegetables and other crops. Jaggery is produced in cottage industries in many villages of the block. Apart from Gondalpura, families in Kandatri, Harli, Simratari, Dunditaad, Balodar, Talaswar, Vishrampur, Sonpura and Mirzapur are currently engaged in making jaggery in more than 100 small-scale industries. The jaggery-making season starts in Diwali and will continue till March.
Arun Kumar explains, “After December 25, the process of making jaggery intensifies because the demand increases manifold around the Makar Sankranti festival (in January). Jaggery is also consumed around Diwali and Chhath because many dishes like thekua are made from it.”
Two types of jaggery are prepared in this area. One is plain jaggery, and the other is masala jaggery, which is infused with spices to enhance the taste. The process of making both is almost the same.
To make jaggery, a specially designed wok is used which has a capacity of about 100 litres (seven tins of edible oil) of juice. After harvesting sugarcane from the fields, its juice is extracted. Six tins of juice are poured into one wok. The wok is not filled to the top, so that it is easy to remove impurities. It is cooked on high flame for about two hours. After removing the impurities, when the water dries up and the juice starts thickening, it is continuously stirred with a large spoon.
After this, the thick juice is brought down from the furnace. Then with the help of a grater, jaggery is formed. Now it is left to cool for half an hour, during which time it is continuously stirred with a large spoon to ensure the jaggery is uniform.
After it cools down, it is measured on a scale and then lumps of half a kilo are prepared. Two people are involved in this. One person measures the jaggery. The other one makes lumps with the help of water.
Rambilas Mahato, who hails from Bagodar village, told Mongabay India, “From October to January, a maximum of 48 lumps of jaggery are produced from 90 litres of juice, which weighs 24 kg. In February-March, 25-26 kg of jaggery is produced because the amount of water in the juice decreases at that time.”
Arun Kumar, who has cultivated sugarcane on two acres this year, says: “While Gondalpura jaggery is sweet, the grinder jaggery tastes salty.” He demands that farmers should be given solar plates to help them with irrigation. Also, the jaggery here should be linked to big markets so that they can get a good price and keep this tradition alive. Last year, he sold about 30 quintals of jaggery.
Spices like ginger, sesame, fennel, roasted peanuts, dates, nuts and black pepper are added to the masala jaggery. No more than 1.5 kg of ginger is added. Other spices are added according to taste, like ghee and dry fruits. Sanjay Mahato from Gondalpura tells Mongabay India, “Shortly before the thick juice is taken out from the furnace, spices are added to it. Then it is mixed well and allowed to cool down and then, lumps of hundred or fifty grams are made.”
The farmers head to Barkagaon Chowk to sell their jaggery, most often carrying it in bamboo baskets. The traders buy this jaggery and sell it in the big markets. When Mongabay India visited this market at 9 am, many farmers were bargaining with traders. This year, plain jaggery is being sold at Rs 50-55 per kg. The starting price of spiced jaggery is Rs 70 per kg.
Tileshwar Kumar, who hails from Kandatri, tells Mongabay India that he has read in the newspaper that the jaggery from here goes up to Germany and Japan. Surendra Mahato, the market contractor adds, “The specialty of this jaggery is that it is not adulterated with any kind of sugar. No chemicals are used either. People like this jaggery more because of its purity.”
Effects of climate change
Sugarcane is cultivated in about 150 acres in Barkagaon. Farmers who do not make jaggery themselves get it made in other factories and, in return, give three kilos of jaggery to the factory owner.
Although there is no research or study on sugarcane grown here or the jaggery made from it, there is evidence that better irrigation systems, good rainfall and fertile soil make the sugarcane produced here juicy. Additionally, the low use of fertilizers and pesticides also increases the sweetness of the jaggery.
Devnath Mahato, 74, is a retired teacher living in Gondalpura village who explains the reason for the production of such high quality jaggery. “The rotten leaves of the forests on all three sides of the area reach our fields during the rains. This increases the fertility of our fields,” he says.
Sugarcane is planted in these villages in January-February. The crop ripens and becomes ready for harvesting in seven to eight months. Once sugarcane is planted, a maximum of three crops are taken.
Farmers say that sugarcane grows best in new and hard soil. Repeatedly planting sugarcane in the same field reduces the amount of juice in it. High moisture content in the soil can also increase the risk of diseases in the crop.
Arun Kumar says, “Earlier there was no problem with sugarcane. There was no need for fertilizers and medicines. The yield was also very high. Eight to ten years ago, the crops got infected with some disease. The sugarcane yield could not produce high quality jaggery. After this, seeds were brought from Uttar Pradesh and the yield improved.”
The growth of sugarcane depends largely on the temperature – 22 to 38 degrees Celsius is most ideal. If temperatures slip below 27 degrees, the growth of the crop is affected. However, climate change is leading to higher temperatures, less rainfall and depletion of groundwater levels, which in turn requires more frequent irrigation. This is increasing the expenses of farmers.
Not only this, extreme changes in weather and extreme temperatures – both high and low – adversely affect productivity and increases the chances of diseases and pests.
A study has concluded that even a single degree Celsius increase in temperature can reduce sugarcane production by up to 20%. On the other hand, a 1% increase in rainfall can cause a 7% loss in production.
However, due to the change in weather, diseases are spreading in sugarcane crops. A white-hued insect has started attacking it, destroying the crop from inside. The tops turn black and then the growth of sugarcane stops, and the sweetness also decreases.
Professor Mujibur Rahman Khan, the chairman of the Department of Plant Protection at Aligarh Muslim University, points to climate change for the decline of jaggery production. He tells Mongabay India, “Nature has set limits for all animals and plants. Due to climate change, that control has reduced. Because of this, sometimes the number of insects cannot be reduced naturally, and they enter the plant. This increases the infestation of insects a lot.”
However, some farmers like Kirtan Kumar also practice farming in a scientific way. He says, “I spray a medicine called Corazon in the sugarcane field to protect it from white insects. This also increases the length of the sugarcane and there is no bend in the next part. This increases the length to 10-12 feet.”
Khan advises farmers to treat the plants properly at the time of transplantation. “Use the right amount of medicine as required scientifically. This will prevent sugarcane from becoming barren. Using too much medicine also harms the plants,” he said.
Farmers say that the colour of jaggery depends on the soil of the area. At present, the jaggery of Balodar in Gondalpura Panchayat is considered the best because cultivation started there only a few years ago.
Rambilas Mahato says: “Sugarcane is good only when you use cow dung manure in it. If you use more fertiliser, you will get more yield, but the sweetness will decrease.”
Decreased consumption of jaggery
Jaggery has social, religious and cultural importance in India. During the festival of new harvest, Makar Sankranti (known by different names across the country), there is a tradition in eastern India to eat jaggery and jaggery-based dishes.
Various types of jaggery have been produced in India in small-scale industries for centuries. According to a research paper, till the 1960s, the consumption of sweetener per person in India was 20 kg every year. About three-fourths of these were jaggery and sugarcane products. After the 1960s, their consumption gradually decreased. By 2018-19, the per capita consumption of these products decreased to just one-fourth. In 1960, the per capita sugar consumption was 4.8 kg every year, which increased to 19.1 kg in 2018-19.
Due to this, the proportion of sugarcane used in sugar production increased from 33.5 per cent in 1980-81 to 86% in 2021-22. On the other hand, the use of sugarcane for jaggery decreased from 54% to just 14%. The average production of sugarcane in India is also close to 5,000 lakh metric tonnes.
Sugarcane and its related industries are important for the rural economy of India. According to an estimate, about five crore farmers cultivate sugarcane. At the same time, five lakh employees work in sugar mills. Apart from this, lakhs of people make jaggery and its products in their homes. India is the second largest sugar producer in the world and ranks first in terms of consumption. In 2023-24, 535 sugar mills were running in the country.
Jaggery is produced in about 25 countries, including India. Every year, 13 million tons of jaggery is produced in the world, of which about 55% is produced in India, making it the leading country in jaggery production, followed by Colombia, where 11% of the world’s jaggery is produced.
In India, Uttar Pradesh leads jaggery production, followed by Tamil Nadu. Jaggery contains minerals like calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, copper and vitamins like folic acid, B-complex etc.
Read more: In India’s ambitious ethanol plan, sugarcane farmers feel they’ve got the short end of the stick
This story was reported by Mongabay India’s Hindi team and first published here on our Hindi site on September 3, 2024.
Banner image: Due to erratic weather changes, many diseases have started affecting sugarcane yields. Image by Vimal Rai.
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