IDUKKI: Despite the popular Marayur jaggery fetching Geographical Indication tag, the producers of the product have not been getting much benefits.
One of the impeding factors in the produce not having the demand it deserves is the lack of a decentralised processing unit to produce export-quality jaggery. Realising this, the CSIR-National Institute For Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST), Thiruvananthapuram, will establish a processing unit for Marayur jaggery in Kanthalloor.
The Marayur Agriculture Hills Development Society (MAHADS), the authorised user of the GI tag received for Marayur jaggery, will be running the unit. The MoU for the establishment of the processing unit at Kanthalloor was handed over to Indrajith, Secretary of MAHADS, by R S Praveen Raj, Senior Principal Scientist, CSIR-NIIST, in the presence of the president and vice-president of Kanthaloor Grama Panchayat on Saturday.
A training programme for the farmers was also completed under the leadership of CSIR - NIIST.
Anchunadu, the region where the jaggery is produced in Idukki, is known for its extensive sugarcane cultivation. In the regions of Marayur and Kanthaloor, more than 2,500 acres of land is under sugarcane cultivation.
The distinct features of the Marayur jaggery are high sweetness with less saltiness, high content of iron and less sodium.
After persistent efforts of the Kerala Agriculture University and the Agriculture Department, Marayur jaggery fetched the GI Tag in 2019. But despite the fame and the tag, producers continue to get a paltry sum of Rs 50 or Rs 60 per kg.
Speaking to TNIE, Indrajith said as soon as the processing unit is installed, farmers in the Kanthalloor, Marayur region of Idukki can produce export-quality produce. “Any farmer, who cultivates sugarcane can bring it to the unit, where the jaggery production will be done on a quality basis. MAHADS will charge an amount as processing fee from the farmers,” he said.