Jaggery

Jaggery is unrefined natural sugar that is produced without adding any chemicals. More than 70% of the total world jaggery production is done in India. Jaggery is popularly known as the “medicinal sugar” and is nutritionally comparable with honey. It has been used as a sweetener in Ayurvedic Medicine for 3000 years. Indian Ayurvedic medicine considers jaggery to be beneficial in treating throat and lung infections. While refined sugar mainly consists of glucose and fructose, jaggery contains glucose and sucrose. But jaggery also has minerals and vitamins which lacks in the refined sugar. 

The mineral content of jaggery includes calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and iron and traces of zinc and copper. The vitamin content includes folic acid and B-complex vitamins. Thus, other than that it is a good source of energy, it also prevents rheumatic afflictions; prevents disorders of bile; helps in relieving fatigue, relaxation of muscles, nerves and blood vessels; maintains blood pressure and reduces water retention; increases hemoglobin level and prevents anaemia. Bakery and confectionery products are furnished with nutrients, vitamins, and proteins. These are offered in spectrum delicious stuffs in baked products like biscuits, breads, cakes, pastries, buns, rusks and rolls etc.

Other side of the items range to chocolates, hard-boiled sweets, chewing gum etc. The bakery sector in India is one of largest segment of the food processing industries in which the annual turnover in value terms is approximately S 900 million. In India the total bakery production is estimated at 1.5 million ton in bread and 1.1 mn ton in biscuit production. The cake industry is estimated at 0.4 mn ton.

The bread market is estimated to be growing at around 7% pa in volume terms, and the biscuit industry in the recent years has witnessed a little higher growth at around 8-10% pa. In the biscuit category, cream and specialty biscuits are growing at faster pace at 20% pa. Currently, the estimated bakeries engaged in the country are 2 million. The confectionery industry is segmented into sugar-boiled confectionery, chocolates, mints and chewing gums. The sugar boiled confectionery is consisting of hard-boiled candy, toffees etc. Accounts for the largest segments. The confectionery industry has a current capacity of 85,000 tonnes and the growth rate per annum is 10-15%.