Jaggery, known for its rich medicinal properties and sweetness, is not only enhancing health but also contributing to economic development and employment in Uttar Pradesh backwaters.
At the recent ‘Farm to Fork Summit’ organized by the CII in Lucknow, Dr Rasappa Vishwanath, Director of the Indian Institute of Sugarcane (IISR), said around 250,000 people in UP are locally employed through jaggery production.
UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath has played a pivotal role in boosting the popularity of jaggery with the state government designating jaggery as the One District One Product (ODOP) for Muzaffarnagar and Ayodhya.
For promotion and marketing, ‘Gud Mahotsavs’ were held in Muzaffarnagar and Lucknow where over 100 varieties of jaggery products were showcased.
Some jaggery products adorned with gold and silver foil sold at high prices in thousands per kilogram.
UP is encouraging sugarcane farmers and rural entrepreneurs to diversify their product basket with various jaggery-based products.
Jaggery is being blended with chocolates, candies, kheer, and medicinal ingredients, offering improved taste and providing greater health benefits.
In addition to iron and potassium, jaggery is rich in vitamin B, fibre and essential minerals such as magnesium, zinc and copper, all offering significant health benefits.
For instance, as an excellent iron source, jaggery helps prevent anaemia. Its calcium content supports bone and dental health, while potassium regulates blood pressure.
Vitamin B in jaggery is crucial for energy production and maintaining a healthy nervous system, and its fibre content promotes digestive health.
UP has achieved milestones in sugarcane price payments, per-hectare production, sugar recovery, and the continuous operation of sugar mills, even during the pandemic.
Since 2017, the Yogi Adityanath goverment has paid over Rs 2.53 trillion to sugarcane farmers.
Given the vast number of sugarcane farmers in UP, the crop has historically been politically sensitive, with issues such as price arrears and non-crushing dominating the discourse.
Apart from timely sugarcane payments, the Yogi government prioritised modernizing old sugar mills and establishing new ones.
As part of this initiative, the capacity of around two dozen mills was expanded, and ultra-modern, high-capacity mills were established in Pipraich (Gorakhpur), Mundera (Basti), and Ramala (Baghpat).
Notably, with 29 mills shut down during the BSP and SP regimes from 2007 to 2017, the reopening of mills and modernisation of older ones under the Yogi rule represented a historic step in favour of sugarcane farmers.
Additionally, the installation of co-generation plants in these mills to make them energy-self-sufficient demonstrates the government’s commitment to the domestic sugarcane industry.
UP is the largest sugarcane-producing state in India, accounting for 51 percent of total cane acreage, 50 percent of cane production and 38 percent of sugar production.
Of the country’s 520 sugar mills, 119 are in UP. Of the approximately 4.8 million sugarcane farmers in the state, more than 4.6 million supply their produce to mills. The sugar industry directly and indirectly employs about 650,000 people in UP.
The state also leads in ethanol production from sugarcane, and farmers will further benefit from the central government’s decision to increase ethanol blending in petrol to 20 percent.