Adulteration of jaggery in Mandya affects health of consumers

Mandya: The Mandya district is also called as land of sugar as it is largest sugarcane growing district in the state. But in recent times jaggery making units (alemane) adulterating Jaggery with low quality sugar is affecting health of consumers and also losing demand.

Mandyajaggery was earlier being sold to Kerala and Tamil Nadu but owing to poor quality the buyers have reduced buying. Just four months back food safety officers raided few jaggery making units , seized adulterated jaggery but could not stop adulteration. The Mandya district has more than 500 jaggery making units and produces more than seven lakh tonnes of sugar cane.

This is season for crushing of sugarcane. But many sugar cane unit owners buying expired poor quality sugar from Belgaum and Maharashtra at just Rs 25 per kilogramme and mixing it to jaggery. In Pandavapuraand Srirangapatna tens of crushing unit owners using poor quality sugar which turned in to brown and unfit for human consumption.

The units also adds chemicals for shining of jaggery. Nanjappa, a crushing unit owner inByadaravalli in Pandavapura taluk told this reporter that APMC traders who buy jaggery supplies poor quality sugar from Maharashtra and selling it to alemane owners. He said sugar-adulterated jaggery is more sweet and biscuit manufacturing units buy this.

Food Safety and Standards Officer Dr Bette Swamy told this reporter that if sugar is used in jaggery it is not called as jaggery. It is a sweet article only. Pure jaggery should have iron and calcium content , nutrients will be destroyed if sugar is adulterated with jaggery. He said the Department is creating awareness among alemaneowners about health issues of adulterated jaggery. He said the officers are conducting frequent checks of jaggery making units.