Tamil Nadu farmer brings palm jaggery to Hyderabad’s outskirts

Farmers from Tamil Nadu are travelling to Hyderabad to sell palm jaggery directly to customers. Made from palm sap, the traditional sweetener is slowly gaining popularity on the city’s outskirts for its natural taste and perceived health benefits.

Hyderabad: In his late 20s, Chinnaraj travels all the way from Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu to Hyderabad in his pickup truck carrying a load of palm jaggery (Nattu Karupatti).

He parks his vehicle at Yacharam on the Nagarjuna Sagar road and sells the jaggery at a price of Rs 340 a kilogram. The man is among a dozen or so farmers cum traders from different parts of Tamil Nadu, who visit the suburbs and sell the product that is slowly gaining buyers.

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Palm jaggery, known as Nattu Karupatti in Tamil, is a natural, unrefined sweetener made from the sap of palm trees such as the palmyra or date palm. Farmers collect the sap, boil it in large iron pots, and let it thicken until it solidifies into dark brown blocks.

“We have been visiting the city and its suburbs for the last two years and selling the product brought from Tamil Nadu. It is manufactured by palm tree farmers,” said Chinnaraj.

Murugan, a farmer and trader, explains that the palm jaggery is prepared using the sap. One litre of padaneer (sap) gives 140 gm of palm jaggery. “Consuming jaggery daily in moderation can help improve digestion, boost immunity, and provide sustained energy throughout the day,” claims Murugan, who is from Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu.

Their relatives work in fields and palm jaggery units and supply the product through a truck to the city. “We do business and the proceeds are distributed between us. If we sell it locally to big traders, we don’t get good money, so we head to other cities and sell it in retail,” said Bakkiyanathan.

Palm jaggery, neatly packed in palm leaf baskets, is finding takers on the city outskirts. “The people who are aware of the benefits stop and buy at least half a kilogram of palm jaggery and carry it home,” added Bakkiyanathan.