Kerala : Alangad jaggery in demand, farmers to scale up sugarcane production
Alangad Cooperative Society will expand sugarcane cultivation from 15 to 25 acres by November to boost jaggery output from 500 kg to 1,500 kg per day by August 2026. Alangad jaggery, priced at ₹200/kg versus ₹60–70 for others, is in high demand from temples and ayurvedic manufacturers.
KOCHI: With the demand for Alangad jaggery registering a sharp rise just a year after launch of production, the Alangad Cooperative Society has decided to extend sugarcane cultivation to 50 acres in a bid to ramp up production.
While the jaggery brought from other states is sold at `60 to `70 per kg, Alangad jaggery costs `200 per kg. Yet, many temples and ayurveda medicine manufacturers have approached the society, demanding a steady supply of jaggery. The immediate plan is to extend cultivation to 25 acres by November from the current 15, according to society president P J Davis.
Alangad, located on the banks of the Periyar, had a tradition of jaggery-making, which was discontinued around four decades ago. In 2023, the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) contacted Alangad panchayat to revive sugarcane cultivation. The KVK brought in the CO 86032 variety, a high-yielding and disease-resistant sugarcane strain, from the Coimbatore Sugarcane Breeding Institute and the Alangad Cooperative Society came forward to support the initiative. Sugarcane cultivation was started in January that year and a jaggery-making plant was established on the society premises in 2024. The plant produces 500 kg of jaggery per day, which the society is planning to raise to 1,500 kg.
“Now, 24 farmers are cultivating sugarcane on 15 acres and the society planted sugarcane on three acres. Once the cultivation is extended to 25 acres, we will be able to increase production by the next Onam season,” Davis told TNIE.
Workers at the jaggery making unit of Alangad Cooperative SocietyPhoto | Express
He said the silt deposit from the Periyar over centuries has made the soil mineral-rich and the sugarcane cultivated here has low salt content.
“Though the price of jaggery is high, we are receiving enquiries from across the state. The bank will provide seeds, fertilisers and interest free loans to farmers,” Davis said.
Varghese P A, a farmer, said he has cultivated sugarcane on 1.5 acres as the bank offered support.
“Compared to paddy, the expense for sugarcane cultivation is low and the bank has offered Rs 8 per kg of sugarcane. We are yet to harvest it, but I’m confident it will be profitable,” he said.
Varghese recalled that the whole area was under sugarcane cultivation in his childhood days.
“But the practice was discontinued around 40 years ago. We stopped paddy cultivation four years ago and the land was left fallow. With the bank offering support, I decided to take up the challenge. Now, more farmers have come forward to cultivate sugarcane,” he said.
KVK programme coordinator and scientist Shinoj Subramanian said they promoted sugarcane cultivation at Alangad as farmers stopped paddy cultivation citing losses.
“We encouraged the farmers to try crop diversification to improve their livelihood. We have partnered with the Alangad panchayat and the Alangad Cooperative Society to support the farmers. There is demand for the jaggery made here as there is no adulteration,” Shinoj said.
Alangad Jaggery in Numbers
Production: 500 kg per day
Area under sugarcane cultivation: 15 acres
Price offered to farmers: L8 per kg of sugarcane
Alangad Cooperative Society plans
To extend cultivation to 25 acres by November
To raise production to 1,500 kg per day by August 2026 Price
Alangad Jaggery: L200 per kg
Other jaggery: L60 to L70
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Source : The New Indian Express
