Festive sales perk up jaggery business despite being hit by rain

Jaggery traders in the city are looking to cash in on the demand for unrefined brown sugar ahead of the harvest festival of Pongal this year despite the recent rainy weather.

Jaggery traders in the city are looking to cash in on the demand for unrefined brown sugar ahead of the harvest festival of Pongal this year despite the recent rainy weather.

“Most of the Pongal wholesale deals were finalised by the last week of December 2023, so we had procured the stock before the rain. The situation will be more tricky in the coming weeks as rain will inevitably hit production. The jaggery that takes overnight to dry, will take over two days to be processed, so we are waiting to see the rain’s effect on our business,” E. Senthilkumar of Ananda Traders, a veteran jaggery and cane sugar trader in Gandhi Market, told The Hindu on Tuesday.

The purchasing rate of a kilo of jaggery had hovered in the range of ₹40-45 for the past 10 years, as a result of which many farmers had shifted away from sugarcane cultivation, said Mr. Senthilkumar. “Delays caused by rain and the general deficit in the market have raised prices to ₹54 per kilo at this week,” he said.

An increased awareness of benefits of jaggery compared to refined sugar had also led to better sales this year, said the traders. “Though sweet consumption has come down due to health concerns, jaggery is considered to be a better alternative to white sugar in food preparation,” said Mr. Senthilkumar.

Overall, retailers and wholesale merchants in the market reported a better sale period this year. “Our suppliers are from Erode, Namakkal, Salem and other nearby cities, that were not affected as severely by the December rains as the other districts, so our stock arrived without much damage. Since jaggery is not included in the Pongal rations, vendors have sold directly to customers,” said Suresh Kumar of Indira Traders.