Visakhapatnam: Jaggery prices at Anakapalle, one of the major markets in the country, have come down slightly ahead of festivals. Currently, the black variety is getting a price of Rs 270 while the deluxe variety Rs 340 per 10 kgs lump. Traders are expecting more arrivals this season compare to the previous year as more cane growers preferred jaggery making with the prices climbing up to a record Rs 450 per 10 kg last season. The jaggery season started in November and the current season will end by April 2018.
“With around 17,000 tonnes stocked in the cold storage during 2016-17 seasons, nearly 750 tonnes still remains to be sold. We expect the arrival of jaggery likely to touch 30 lakh lumps in the current season,” says Sharath Kumar K.V., a third generation trader in the business at Anakapalle Jaggery market.
As of now, the arrivals are of the order of 7,000 lumps, each weighing around 10 to 12 kg. Anakapalle jaggery market in Vizag district is the second largest in the country and the product has been exporting to other states like Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar. The traders used to store jaggery lumps in cold storages and export during festive seasons such as Vinayaka Chaviti, Dasara and Diwali. The jaggery makers are expecting that the prices of the deluxe jaggery to increase in the coming days. Experts in the trade say if the jaggery prices discourage farmers, the production will come down in the coming years.
