Anakapalli jaggery market sees sales turnover up 25%

Notwithstanding a 10 per cent shortfall in jaggery arrivals, the Anakapalli jaggery market "� the second largest jaggery market in the country "� recorded a sales turnover increase of 25 per cent during the just-ended jaggery season.

The increase in sales turnover was due to an abnormal increase in jaggery purchasing.

During the 2003-04 jaggery season, the Anakapalli market received 39 lakh jaggery lumps (each lump contains 15 kgs) as compared to 43 lakh lumps in the preceding year.

However, the jaggery market's turnover touched Rs 69 crore in 2003-04 as against Rs 55 crore in 2002-03, thus registering a growth of 25 per cent.

Speaking to Business Standard, IVR Nageswara Rao, president of Anakapalli Jaggery Traders Association, said: "The 2003-04 season has been profitable both for the jaggery producers as well as for the merchants at the Anakapalli market. From mid April, the farmers were paid anywhere between Rs 100 and Rs 180 per 10 kg of black jaggery and because of this, the sales turnover has increased by 25 per cent despite the shortfall of jaggery arrivals."

"During the last season, the traders had paid on an average Rs 80 per 10 kg of black jaggery and Rs 95 for quality jaggery. Whereas in the 2003-04 season, the traders paid on an average Rs 105 per 10 kg of black jaggery and Rs 130 per 10 kg of quality jaggery. At one time, the jaggery prices shot up to Rs 180 per 10 kg. Due to this, the colour jaggery (quality jaggery) prices in the local market went up to Rs 2,200-Rs 2,500 per quintal. Even the sugar prices touched a maximum of Rs 1,800 per quintal," K Buchi Raju, a senior jaggery trader, told Business Standard.

"The main reasons for the price hike at the Anakapalli market can be attributed to the abnormal increase of black jaggery consumption by illicit liquor manufacturers and the drop in jaggery production in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar,"Raju said.

These reasons buoyed the demand for jaggery from Andhra Pradesh, and the local traders raked in huge margins to the tune of Rs 30 crore during this season, he added.

"After incurring heavy losses in the last two seasons, the Anakapalli jaggery traders tasted substantial profits in 2003-04. They have gained around Rs 30,000-Rs 50,000 on a truck load (each load contains 10 tonnes) of jaggery," he said.