Published : Oct 23, 2026, 11:36 PM ISTUpdated : Oct 23, 2026, 11:43 PM IST
Muzaffarnagar in UP holds the title of India's jaggery capital, hosting world's largest jaggery market. Located in the "Sugar Bowl of India," the city produces jaggery by boiling fresh sugarcane juice in massive iron pans to retain natural minerals.
People use refined white sugar for everything from tea to sweets these days. But jaggery ruled every Indian kitchen before white sugar arrived. Cooks used only jaggery to make all traditional sweets. Workers still boil sugarcane juice in massive iron pans to make jaggery the traditional way. Let us see which city holds the title of India's jaggery capital and what makes it so special.
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The Jaggery Capital Of India
Muzaffarnagar city in Uttar Pradesh serves as the central hub for the Indian jaggery business. This city hosts the largest jaggery market in the entire world. Farmers grow sugarcane in huge quantities here. People even call Uttar Pradesh the Sugar Bowl of India for this reason.
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Muzaffarnagar jaggery's GI tag
The government officially recognised the city's connection with jaggery. Muzaffarnagar jaggery received the prestigious GI tag in 2023. The Uttar Pradesh government also included it in their One District One Product scheme. Exporters will send 30 metric tonnes of GI-tagged Muzaffarnagar jaggery to Bangladesh in March 2025.
Farmers cut fresh sugarcane and extract its juice. Workers filter this juice and boil it in large pans. The water evaporates completely and leaves behind a thick syrup. Makers then cool this syrup and pour it into different moulds to shape the jaggery. Jaggery retains all the natural minerals from the sugarcane juice, unlike refined sugar. People use it widely to make sweets, pickles, and traditional drinks.