Unseasonal rain slows down palm jaggery production in Ramanathapuram
The unseasonal rains during the past few days have slowed down the production of palm jaggery, say worried palm tappers of Ramanathapuram district.
The season beginning from Tamil month Thai (January) to Aadi (July) has always been deemed suitable for taking the sap from the palm trees and processing it into jaggery but this year rains have spoiled the collecting process, they add.
'We start the collection of sap from the palm trees, using lime-laced earthen pots to prevent fermentation, it is then boiled in large vats, made of iron or copper, over a wood fire for an extended period. The liquid is stirred continuously so as to remove the scum and to prevent burning,' said S. Thoppuraj, tapper in Ramanathapuram.
The liquid after attaining a certain consistency would be transferred to broken coconut shells that are used as mould to bring them to a certain shape, he added.
The process from collection of sap till transforming it into palm jaggery, would be repeated several times in the six-months period, he said.
Mr. Thoppuraj who hails from Kannirajapuram, Ramanathapuram, has moved along with his family to Malattar, located 30-km from his house, where he has leased a land for collecting sap from palm trees.
While he along with other men take care of sap collection, at the makeshift tents he had made there, his family, wife, three children, mother, brother and his family, all reside and take care of the palm jaggery production.
'The six months period which is the peak for palm tappers earns us the money for our survival for the rest of six months,' he stated.
But, in recent days, due to various reasons, both the collection and production of jaggery has witnessed a fall, he worried.
'This jaggery we sell for ₹200/kg to the middlemen, who then sell it for ₹350/kg. When our hard work is reduced to ₹200, the original price goes to the middlemen who just do the trading work,' he noted.
'We are unable to do anything or demand a price, as most of us are indebted to the middlemen', Mr. Thoppuraj said.
As they had to be dependent on the middlemen for instant loans during off-seasons, they had lost the privilege of fixing the price for their produce, he added.
Adding to their worries, he said that the unpredictable climate had also made their job even more difficult as sap could not be collected during the rain.
He added that they were hopeful of good weather in the upcoming months before the actual monsoon season arrives.
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