If the Science and Technology Park of India (STPI), Pune, has its way with its jaggery cluster development project, the famous Kolhapur jaggery will find a place on the shelves of international markets in packed and branded form.
The STPI is preparing the detailed project report (DPR) for the project, which is an initiative of the small and medium enterprise ministry with Rs400 crore being the total estimated cost.
Director general of STPI-Pune, Rajendra Jagdale, told DNA he held a meeting with 600-odd sugarcane farmers of Kolhapur on Thursday and assured them of all assistance from the STPI to brand and market the jaggery.
“The proposal has already been accepted by the state government. The DPR will be prepared by us in consultation with various stakeholders. The idea is to promote farmers across the state making various jaggery products, which have a good demand in the international market. Unfortunately, the potential of jaggery, which is also a natural healthy food, is not being tapped at all in the state,’’ he said.
Jagdale said the proposed cluster to be set up in Kolhapur at an estimated cost of Rs400 crore would R&D, education, packaging, branding and agro-tourism facilities, among others. “Jaggery from Kolhapur was even approved by global retail giant, Walmart. But the farmers were not able to take advantage because they were not provided support to make it in a clean and healthy manner,’’ he said.
Agricultural expert Vishvesh Karade said such a project would be a big boon for sugarcane farmers, who are now forced to sell sugarcane to only sugar factories in the state. “It can also provide good quality jaggery to the customers. Another issue that the government has to examine is relaxing the licencesgiven to small and medium enterprises to make jaggery products,’’ he said.
There are 1,100 jaggery producing units in Kolhapur district, engaging more than 25,000 farmers. The annual turnover from jaggery business is about Rs123 crore. The cluster development project will not produce jaggery, but will procure jaggery from farmers for developing various value-added products and by-products for export.
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