WARANGAL: As the biennial historic Tribal fair Sammakka Saralamma Jatara, also known as Medaram Jatara, is scheduled to begin from February 5, traders have started stocking jaggery, a main offering for deities, in city markets.
During the Jatara, devotees will offer white jaggery, popularly known in the Telugu-speaking states as Bangaram, to the presiding deities. Therefore, traders are making beelines to Karnataka and Maharashtra where the produce is cultivated in large quantities.
According to information, at present, Grade-A (Kolapur) jaggery is being sold at Rs 50 per kg, Grade-B (Salt Jaggery) Rs 45 per kg and Grade-C(Chemical less Jaggery) is being sold at Rs 30 to Rs 40 per kg.
The traders hope that scores of devotees will arrive this time as well which would help them get high profit. In erstwhile Warangal district, wholesale jaggery traders are equipped with all necessary equipment.
Traditionlly, a devotee offers white jaggery, the quantity of which will be equivalent to their own weight, as ‘thulabaram’ for fulfilling their desires. As lakhs, sometimes crores, of devotees are expected to arrive at Medaram for the Jatara, and most of them will perform thulabaram, the traders are certain there will be a huge demand for jaggery.
Speaking to Express, M Pranay Kumar, of Parameshwara General Merchant in Warangal, said that around 100 tonnes of jaggery is being sold every two days in the city. A large quantity of this arrives from various parts of the nation to meet the demand. The biennial festival is, literally, a festive season for the jaggery traders as well. “The business will pick its pace up in the next couple of days,” Kumar said. Meanwhile, S Srinivas, a merchant, told Express said that he is worried about the lowering price of jaggery. With the Jatara round the corner, the competition between the traders have also begun.