Doubling Cane Jaggery Producers’ Income: Options and Strategies Drawn from North Coastal Zone of Andhra Pradesh

The study has estimated costs and returns in value chain of cane jaggery in to suggest strategies for doubling income of cane jaggery entrepreneurs in the North Coastal Zone of Andhra Pradesh. The multistage sampling technique was adopted for selecting sampling units at various levels during 2016–17. The analytical tools like conventional tabular analysis, benefit cost ratio (BCR) and response priority index (RPI) were employed in the study. The results have revealed that cost of sugarcane is the prime factor in various value-added products of Jaggery. In the value chain of cane jaggery, lump form results in getting profits of 61, 630/ha, whereas, in the forms of cubes, granules and liquid, the profits per hectare are 1, 20, 090, 2, 55, 371 and 2, 63, 219, respectively. Thus, profits can be doubled by simply changing the form of product. But, infrastructural facilities like machines and buildings, and finance are the main hindrances to achieve doubling of farmers’ income in Andhra Pradesh.