Marayur jaggery, a traditional product from Idukki district, has fetched a new record price. The price of 1 kg of Marayur jaggery has touched ₹120 in the retail market. According to vendors, lesser production has resulted in the price increase. The price may soar further during the Onam season, they said.
Akbar Ali, who runs a jaggery production unit named Messa at Marayur, said that excess rain affected the production of jaggery. “In June last year, the Marayur area witnessed heavy rain, resulting in widespread damage of sugarcanes. The average growth period of sugarcane is 12 months. However, due to the heavy rain, harvest was delayed. The low production has resulted in the price increase,” said Mr. Ali.
G. Rajan, another jaggery vendor from Marayur, said that a large amount of jaggery is arriving from Tamil Nadu and is illegally branded and sold as Marayur jaggery. “The food safety wing and other agencies are not taking any steps to prevent the arrival of Tamil Nadu jaggery in Kerala. The retail price of the original jaggery has touched ₹120 per kg. Earlier, it was around ₹90 a kg,” said Mr. Rajan.
Manikandan, a farmer from Nachivayal near Marayur, said that the farmers are now receiving ₹70 per kg, while it was ₹45 to ₹50 earlier. “The production cost is high and a large number of farmers avoid sugarcane farming. This has also resulted in the price rise of the product,” he said.
Retired Professor C.R. Elsy, former coordinator, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), Kerala Agricultural University (KAU), who had helped Marayur farmers document the jaggery-making process and apply for the geographical indication (GI) tag, said the price of Marayur jaggery before it had received the GI tag was ₹40 to ₹45 per kg. “Now, the retail price has touched ₹200 per kg in some major shops. The GI tag has clearly benefitted the product,” she said.
“Farmers and companies should market the product with the GI tag brand so that it attracts more interest,” she added.
In March 2019, Marayur jaggery received the Central government’s GI tag. A traditional product produced only in Marayur, this jaggery is made from pure sugarcane and no chemicals are added to it during the manufacturing process.
