Sugar cane growers have become increasingly frustrated with the failure of sugar mills to open their services and provide them a fixed rate for buying their agricultural product. Farmers say that the failure of the mills to resume operations to process the sugar cane along with the low rates offered, is no longer sustainable. Now, the growers have turned to using their own technology to turn the sugar cane into gur (jaggery). These winter months there is growing demand for gur to sweeten tea and coffee, as well as make desserts. Most of the jaggery is exported outside the sugar cane area, even as the fields are now being wiped clean and prepared for the wheat sowing season. Still, growers say that if sugar mills restart processing and offer them a good rate, they would be willing to sell to them.
