Indian Farmers Use Traditional Methods To Produce Golden Jaggery

Freelance photographer, Anuwar Hazarika visited a small village in Nagaon, India, to capture the working conditions of the production farm.

Anuwar, 32, said: “Here you can see the traditional method of extracting sugarcane juice.

“The sugarcane is crushed using a rotating machine and with the help of a cow or two.

“The juice is then boiled on a low heat by the use of firewood and it is cooled to harden.

“Sugarcane is cultivated here in the winter and during February and March it is harvested.”

Using the old-fashioned methods, farmers have to obtain the evaporating water from sugarcane juice in order to generate a traditional raw non-centrifugal sugar – more commonly known as jaggery.

“The whole process is completed within a week”, Anuwar added.

“Such activities only require the service of two or three farmers.”

Jaggery is often mixed with other ingredients such as peanuts, condensed milk, coconut and white sugar to produce several locally marketed and consumed delicacies across Asia, Africa and some countries in the Americas.

Anuwar said: “These methods are more eco-friendly than those used in a normal agricultural field.

“I like to present something that is less known and practiced without depending on technology.

“I have now plans to work the festivals of the northeast and explore the natural production of tea.”