IDUKKI: The future of Kerala’s iconic Marayur jaggery, which earned the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2019, hangs in the balance as sugarcane cultivation in Marayur and Kanthalloor continues to decline due to mounting human-wildlife conflict, labour shortage and rapid changes in land-use pattern.
Once known for vast stretches of sugarcane fields, the twin villages are witnessing a steady disappearance of the crop that gives Marayur jaggery its distinct identity.
Farmers say large tracts of agricultural land have been converted for tourism-related ventures and residential purposes as the region has emerged as a major tourist destination. Beneficiaries of the Life Mission housing scheme, particularly plantation workers from Munnar who cannot afford land there, have also been purchasing land in the region for house construction.
Kanthalloor farmer Sivakumar said the area under sugarcane cultivation has almost halved over the years. “If nearly 1,000 hectares were under sugarcane cultivation earlier, it has now come down to around 500 hectares. Apart from the increasing menace of wild animals, labour shortage has also become a major challenge,” he said.
Sugarcane requires nearly a year of care before harvest, making it difficult for farmers to protect the crop from elephants, wild boars and peacocks. As cultivation became increasingly unviable, many growers abandoned farming, while traditional family-run jaggery units gradually gave way to modern production centres where farmers now sell harvested sugarcane instead of processing it themselves.
To help farmers benefit from the GI tag, the government and scientific institutions established a decentralised processing unit at Kanthalloor through the CSIR- National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST) and Marayur Agriculture Hills Development Society (MAHADS).
Though construction has been completed, the unit is yet to be commissioned. Likewise, the tribal farmers’ premium brand Marayur Madhuram, launched to market authentic jaggery, has also faced setbacks due to counterfeit products and other market-related issues.
According to MAHADS secretary Indrajith, the society is promoting value-added products to improve farmers’ income. “We are introducing products such as peanut candy made from Marayur jaggery. However, Marayur jaggery itself costs around `100-120 per kg, making the product more expensive than similar sweets available in the market. If these products are to compete commercially, we need to bring the price down to that level,” he said.
Indrajith said protecting sugarcane cultivation through government support, tackling wild animal menace and promoting value-added products are crucial to preserving both Marayur jaggery and the livelihoods of the farming communities that have safeguarded the tradition for generations.