TIRUPATI: With inspections and continuous monitoring on the sale and supply of black jaggery from wholesalers to retailers by the Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) sleuths, the prices of the jaggery dropped to 50% in the market as traders are not coming forward to purchase the produce for the price fixed by farmers.
The price of black jaggery in the market has fallen to Rs 20-22 per kg from Rs 40-45. Traders are not coming forward to purchase the produce to maintain stocks as the demand for black jaggery has come down in the recent past. Observing the trend, farmers have started taking their produce to urban areas and selling it on roads for at least Rs 30-35 per kg.
Black jaggery is produced in Chittoor and parts of Nellore. More than 25,000 people rely on black jaggery trade.“We have started selling jaggery in urban areas rather than supplying it to wholesale traders. Some of the traders formed a syndicate and reduced the price without citing any valid reason. We are unable to store the jaggery in godowns and forced to sell it on roads in urban and semi-urban areas. We have been getting a good response from the public,” said K Narayana, a farmer from SR puram.
Recently, SEB officials in Chittoor and Nellore districts have conducted inspections of jaggery shops and verified records. SEB officials have kept a vigil on the wholesale and retail shops for getting details of the people who buy black jaggery in large quantities.
Farmers are arranging small stalls on the roadside in towns and cities of Chittoor, Nellore and other districts for selling black jaggery. Usually, farmers will spend nearly Rs 50,000-Rs 70,000 for cultivation of sugarcane in one acre. “The State government should support us by arranging separate stalls in towns and cities for selling jaggery,” said N Siva Kumar Reddy, a farmer from GD Nellore.