The lockdown and the resultant demand slowdown that hit the market for agricultural produce and the ancillary farm produce have duly hit palm jaggery producers as well in the palm jaggery producing pockets here, as the season will come to an end in a month.
At Eachankadu village in Mathur, Kumaran and his father have been collecting palm sap diligently despite the lockdown and the fall in demand.
The father and son climb over 80 trees twice daily, once at midnight and then at afternoon to collect the palm sap that would have collected into the earthen pot tied to the palmyra palm. “It is our daily work, and irrespective of the demand, we have to collect the sap. Or else, the tree gets spoiled,” says Kumaran.
A healthy alternative to white sugar, palm jaggery too has seen fall in prices due to the movement restrictions and fall in overall demand. “The price of palm jaggery per 10 kg should be ₹2,000. But, traders are asking only for ₹1,500,” he says. But, they hope the prices will pick up once the lockdown ends, by when the season will end too.
The farmers start climbing trees at 2 a.m. and finish collecting the sap by 9 a.m., and return once again at 2 p.m. to collect up to 5 p.m. The scotching sun and the fall in demand has not deterred them. “I can climb 80 trees a day, but my father can climb 120 trees,” says Kumaran.