IDUKKI: As Kerala gets ready to savour the traditional sweetness of Onam, a new initiative in the high ranges of Idukki is seeking to preserve the legacy of Marayoor jaggery by giving it a new avatar - peanut candy.
The Marayoor Hill Area Development Society (MAHADS) will launch its new product, ‘Marayoor Peanut Candy’, on September 3, hoping to create a new market for the region’s famed GI-tagged jaggery and, in turn, encourage farmers to continue sugarcane cultivation.
The initiative comes at a time when sugarcane fields in Marayoor and Kanthalloor have been steadily shrinking due to human-wildlife conflict, labour shortages and changing land use.
With demand for jaggery also facing challenges, MAHADS and the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation have turned to value addition to support the traditional farming economy.
A production unit has been opened at Kottakulam under the name ‘Taste of Marayoor’, where a 10-member team of local women will produce the candy. The women have already been trained in candy-making at Kayamkulam. Machinery for peeling, roasting, mixing and packing was purchased using Rs 5 lakh in CSR funding from HDFC Bank, channelled through the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation.
Anu Sunil, development assistant of the foundation, said the project aims to empower sugarcane farmers while retaining the legacy of jaggery in Anchunad. “Training was already given to a 10-member team of local women at Kayamkulam for making the candy and we hope to bring it to the market from September 3,” she said.
However, pricing the product competitively remains a challenge. Unlike ordinary peanut candy, Marayoor Candy uses the region’s premium GI-tagged jaggery, making its production cost higher.
MAHADS secretary Indrajith said the product would have to be sold at a price that covers its costs while leaving room for retailers and distributors.
“If a candy bar is available for Rs 5 in the market, we should be able to sell ours for Rs 5 as wholesale price and have it marketed for Rs 8 or Rs 10. Only then can we survive,” he said.
MAHADS plans to position the product as a premium local speciality and market it through shops in the tourist areas of Munnar, Marayoor and nearby destinations.
Program manager Sijo Thomas and the foundation’s Idukki coordinator Honeymol are also involved in the initiative.
Indrajith said, the hope is that the new product will not just add value to Marayoor jaggery but also create a steady market for the crop, providing sugarcane farmers and local women with an additional source of livelihood.