Basaveshwara Jaggery Production Unit

Out here in Nallanatti, near Gokak, things move at a different pace. Our jaggery unit is right where the fields are, which makes it easier to get the cane delivered. It is a very hot job because we have the big boilers going all day long. You can see the steam rising from the pans from quite a distance away. The ground is often covered in dry cane stalks that we use for the fire. It is a family sort of operation and everyone knows their job, whether it is skimming the juice or pouring the hot liquid into the molds to set. We don't have an office with air conditioning or anything like that. We mostly eat our lunch under the shade of a tree nearby. The work is seasonal so there are months when we are incredibly busy and months when we are just fixing the equipment and waiting for the next crop. It is physically demanding and your clothes always end up smelling like woodsmoke and sugar. We sell the blocks to traders who come by with their trucks. There is nothing complicated about it. We follow the same steps that have been used around here for a long time. It is just about getting the juice boiled down correctly and making sure the blocks are solid before they get loaded up for the market.