Muzaffarpur: Sugarcane farmers in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district are set to get a new local market for their produce, with the state government planning to establish nine jaggery manufacturing units under the Bihar State Jaggery Industry Promotion Programme. The initiative has been taken under the state’s Fourth Agriculture Roadmap and is aimed at providing sugarcane growers in non-milling areas with an alternative way to process and sell their produce locally.
Under the proposed programme, nine jaggery manufacturing units will be established in Muzaffarpur. Six units have been proposed for beneficiaries under the general category, while three units will be allocated to beneficiaries from the Scheduled Caste category. Farmers and entrepreneurs setting up these units will receive financial assistance from the government.
The initiative is particularly aimed at sugarcane-growing areas located away from sugar mills, where farmers can face difficulties in transporting and marketing their cane. With local jaggery production facilities, farmers will be able to process sugarcane into jaggery and sell the finished product in nearby markets. This could provide an additional avenue for sugarcane utilisation while reducing dependence on distant sugar mills and markets. 
The scheme allows jaggery manufacturing units with project costs ranging from ₹12 lakh to ₹1 crore, depending on their production and crushing capacity. Eligible farmers and entrepreneurs can receive a subsidy of up to 50% of the project cost. The financial support is intended to encourage investment in both small and larger jaggery production units.
The proposed units are also expected to create new opportunities for rural employment. Local processing of sugarcane can generate work related to cane handling, jaggery production, packaging, transportation and marketing, while adding value to the crop within the district.
Before setting up a jaggery manufacturing unit, applicants will be required to obtain the necessary production licence. Assistant Cane Director Arvind Kumar Ravi said applicants must submit their application at the office of the District Cane Development Officer. A challan of ₹2,100 is required for the licence application, after which the application will be forwarded from the district level to the directorate.
Once the required licence is obtained, farmers and entrepreneurs can proceed with the application for setting up a jaggery manufacturing unit under the scheme. The online application process has already started, allowing eligible applicants to apply for the benefits.
The Bihar government expects the programme to strengthen local sugarcane processing, provide farmers with an alternative market for their crop and promote value addition in rural areas. The establishment of nine jaggery units in Muzaffarpur could also support the development of small-scale agro-processing enterprises and generate additional income and employment opportunities for local communities.
