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Processed food

Export jaggery (gur)

Cane jaggery blocks and powder, mainly to Africa and Indonesia. Keep it separate from sugar, whose export is controlled.

Free to exportHS 1701.13
HS code
1701.13
Non-centrifugal cane sugar, which includes jaggery. Confirm the exact 8-digit jaggery line on ITC(HS) Schedule 2; white and raw sugar are on other lines.
Export policy
Free to export
Jaggery is Free as far as we could confirm, while white and raw sugar exports are restricted; organic sugar is allowed up to 50,000 tonnes a year (DGFT Notification 51/2025-26). Confirm the jaggery line on DGFT before shipping.
Registrations
4
IEC, GST and those below
India’s exports, 2025-26
US$ 24.4 mn
to 49 countries

What is exported

India makes more than 70% of the world’s jaggery. APEDA reports jaggery and confectionery exports together: 5.50 lakh tonnes worth US$ 446 million in 2025-26, with Indonesia, Benin, Kenya, Tanzania and Cameroon as top destinations. Jaggery ships as blocks, cubes and powder, and organic jaggery is a niche for Europe and North America.

Varieties, grades and forms

  • Solid cane jaggery (blocks, cubes)Traditional 1 kg blocks and small cubes.
  • Jaggery powderFree-flowing granules for retail and food makers.
  • Organic jaggeryNPOP-certified, sold to Europe and North America.
  • Palmyra jaggeryFrom palm sap, a niche product from Tamil Nadu.

Where it is grown or made

  • Uttar PradeshMuzaffarnagar, Hapur and Meerut — large jaggery markets.
  • MaharashtraKolhapur (Kolhapur Jaggery GI) and Sangli.
  • KarnatakaMandya and Belagavi.
  • KeralaMarayoor (Idukki) and Central Travancore — both GI jaggeries.

Season

Made during the cane-crushing season, roughly October/November to April; stored stock ships year-round.

Export packing

  • Blocks wrapped in food-grade film, packed in cartons or 25–30 kg bags.
  • Powder in lined bags or retail pouches; keep moisture low to avoid caking.

Who buys abroad

  • Importers in Indonesia and East and West Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Benin, Cameroon)
  • Ethnic Indian grocers in the Gulf, UK and USA
  • Organic and natural-sweetener brands in Europe

The quality buyers ask for

Standards
FSSAI standard for jaggery (gur); AGMARK jaggery grades (Jaggery Grading and Marking Rules, as amended 2012)
Moisture
Low moisture is essential; damp jaggery melts, ferments and grows mould. Agree the limit with the buyer
Colour and form
Golden to dark brown; blocks, cubes, powder or liquid
Clarificants
Sulphur dioxide must stay within FSSAI and importer limits; “chemical-free” lots use only plant clarificants
Cleanliness
No sand, fibre or insects; insoluble matter tested by the lab

Certificates

  • APEDA RCMCRequiredRegistration with APEDA, issued as an RCMC on the DGFT portal. Since 15 Sep 2026, a consignment up to ₹3 lakh FOB can go without it.
  • FSSAI licenceRequiredCentral licence from FSSAI for the premises where the food is packed or stored for export. Apply on FoSCoS.
  • Organic (NPOP / NOP / EU)Often askedNeeded only if you sell the product as organic: NPOP certification by an accredited body, plus the buyer market’s own organic rules.
  • HACCPOften askedA food-safety plan that identifies hazards at each processing step and controls them. Most importers ask for it from the processing unit.
  • ISO 22000 / FSSC 22000Often askedFood-safety management system certification. FSSC 22000 is recognised by GFSI, which large retailers and brand owners look for.
  • HalalOften askedAsked for by many buyers in the Gulf, Malaysia and Indonesia, especially for processed and animal-origin foods. Use a body the destination recognises.

Shipping, storage and shelf life

Container load

Blocks or powder in lined cartons or bags: a 20-ft container typically holds about 18–22 tonnes.

How it travels

Sea freight from Mundra, Nhava Sheva and Chennai; land routes to Nepal.

Storage

Cool and dry; heat and humidity make jaggery sweat and stick. Use moisture-proof liners and desiccants in the container.

Shelf life

Typically 6–12 months in moisture-proof packs.

What goes on the pack and carton

  • EU retail packs (Regulation 1169/2011): name of the food, ingredients with allergens highlighted, net quantity, best-before date, storage conditions, the EU importer’s name and address, and origin where required — in the language of the country of sale.
  • USA (21 CFR 101): product name, net quantity in both US and metric units, ingredients, allergens, name and place of business of the packer or distributor, Nutrition Facts unless exempt; and “Product of India” marking (19 CFR 134).
  • Gulf countries: Arabic text (Arabic plus English is normal), production and expiry dates, net weight, country of origin and the importer’s details. Confirm the current rules with your importer.
  • Lot or batch number on every pack and bag — FSSAI’s Labelling and Display Regulations, 2020 require it, and every importing country uses it to trace and recall.
Where to get it tested

Use a laboratory on APEDA’s list of recognised laboratories (apeda.gov.in → Quality → Recognised Organisations). For any other test, search the NABL directory (nabl-india.org) for a lab accredited for that test, or use an FSSAI-notified lab. Ask the buyer which lab reports they accept before you send samples.

Benefits of exporting this product

Where to register

  • APEDARegistration-cum-Membership Certificate (RCMC) for APEDA-scheduled products. Apply on the DGFT portal after you have your IEC.dgft.gov.in ↗
  • FSSAIFood business licence. FSSAI rules put food exporters under the Central licence; apply on FoSCoS and keep it valid for the premises you pack from.foscos.fssai.gov.in ↗

Quality and checks

  • No added colour, hydros (sodium hydrosulphite) or washing soda — buyers and FSSAI standards reject chemically cleared jaggery.
  • Moisture and sucrose content as per contract; moisture-proof packing for sea voyages.
  • Microbiology and heavy metals if selling to retail chains.
How to start small

Buy chemical-free jaggery from a hygienic unit in Kolhapur, Muzaffarnagar or Mandya, get it lab-tested and ship one container to an East African importer on LC, or packaged powder to Indian stores in the Gulf. Since 15 September 2026, a consignment worth up to ₹3 lakh FOB does not need an RCMC (DGFT Notification 36/2026-27). Registrations that a law requires for the product still apply.

Where new exporters go wrong

  • Declaring sugar as jaggery, or jaggery under a sugar line — customs treats misclassification seriously because sugar is restricted.
  • Jaggery sweating and melting in a hot container; use moisture barriers and avoid summer loading without protection.

Documents this product needs

Schemes that apply

Sources (4)
  1. APEDA — Jaggery and Confectionery profile (exports and destinations 2025-26)
  2. DGFT Notification 51/2025-26 (29 Dec 2025) — export of 50,000 MT organic sugar per year
  3. APEDA — DGFT notifications for APEDA products
  4. DGFT Notification 36/2026-27 (15 Sep 2026) — no RCMC needed for consignments up to ₹3 lakh FOB

Trade data

Indian jaggery (gur) exports in numbers

From the Department of Commerce’s TradeStat, country by country. US$, Indian financial years (April–March).

Exports in 2025-26
US$ 24.4 mn
-8.1% a year on average, 2020-21 to 2025-26
Change from 2024-25
↓ -55.9%
US$ 55.4 mn → US$ 24.4 mn
Buyer countries
49
Average export price
US$ 0.69
per kg · 35,377 tonnes shipped · US$ 0.63 the year before
Malaysia: US$ 5.9 mnUnited States of America: US$ 4 mnUnited Arab Emirates: US$ 2.5 mnCanada: US$ 1.4 mnNepal: US$ 1.3 mnAustralia: US$ 1 mnSingapore: US$ 960kUnited Kingdom: US$ 940kSaudi Arabia: US$ 840kKenya: US$ 820kOman: US$ 690kItaly: US$ 520kBhutan: US$ 440kKuwait: US$ 440kQatar: US$ 310kGermany: US$ 80kNetherlands: US$ 80kFrance: US$ 50kMalaysia: US$ 5.9 mnMalaysiaUnited States of America: US$ 4 mnUnited States of AmericaUnited Arab Emirates: US$ 2.5 mnUnited Arab EmiratesCanada: US$ 1.4 mnNepal: US$ 1.3 mnNepalAustralia: US$ 1 mnAustraliaSingapore: US$ 960kUnited Kingdom: US$ 940kUnited KingdomSaudi Arabia: US$ 840kKenya: US$ 820kOman: US$ 690kItaly: US$ 520kBhutan: US$ 440kKuwait: US$ 440kQatar: US$ 310kGermany: US$ 80kNetherlands: US$ 80kFrance: US$ 50kIndia
Where Indian jaggery (gur) goes — among our 30 countries, 2025-26
2020-21: US$ 37.2 mn372020-212021-22: US$ 28.6 mn292021-222022-23: US$ 19.2 mn192022-232023-24: US$ 67.9 mn682023-242024-25: US$ 55.4 mn552024-252025-26: US$ 24.4 mn242025-26
India’s jaggery (gur) exports, year by year · US$ million

The price cycle

India’s average export price per kg each year (total value ÷ total quantity). Highest in 2025-26, lowest in 2020-21 — a 44% swing between them. Keep this swing in mind when you quote.

2020-21: US$ 0.48 per kg0.482021-22: US$ 0.55 per kg2022-23: US$ 0.61 per kg2024-25: US$ 0.63 per kg2025-26: US$ 0.69 per kg0.692020-212021-222022-232023-242024-252025-26
Average export price of Indian jaggery (gur) · US$ per kg · dotted = year in between not available

What next: a projection from the trend

The past trend carried forward — not a forecast by any authority. Sudden changes in policy, prices or demand are not in it.

2020-21: US$ 37.2 mn2020-212021-22: US$ 28.6 mn2021-222022-23: US$ 19.2 mn2022-232023-24: US$ 67.9 mn2023-242024-25: US$ 55.4 mn2024-252025-26: US$ 24.4 mn2025-262026-27: US$ 39.4 mn (US$ 18.8 mn – US$ 82.4 mn)392026-272027-28: US$ 40.7 mn (US$ 17.8 mn – US$ 92.7 mn)412027-28
India’s jaggery (gur) exports and projection · hollow bars = projection, line = likely range
By 2027-28: US$ 40.7 mn

Likely range US$ 17.8 mn to US$ 92.7 mn.

Trend
+3.3% a year
Fit (R²)
0.02 — weak, read with care
Based on
6 years of official figures

Method: a straight line through the logarithm of yearly exports (log-linear regression); range = ±1 standard error.

Biggest buyer countries

By value in 2025-26. Change is against 2024-25.

Name2025-26Change
1MalaysiaUS$ 5.9 mn-1.5%
2United States of AmericaUS$ 4 mn-23.8%
3United Arab EmiratesUS$ 2.5 mn+7.3%
4CanadaUS$ 1.4 mn-12%
5NepalUS$ 1.3 mn-5.9%
6AustraliaUS$ 1 mn-4.6%
7SingaporeUS$ 960k-73.9%
8United KingdomUS$ 940k-5.1%
9Saudi ArabiaUS$ 840k-1.2%
10KenyaUS$ 820k-77.2%
11OmanUS$ 690k+13.1%
12TanzaniaUS$ 530k-81.8%

Where demand is rising and falling

Only countries that buy at least US$ 1 million or 1% of India’s exports of this product. Change from 2024-25 to 2025-26.

High demand

No sizeable country falls in this list this year.

Low demand

  1. ThailandUS$ 4.1 mn → US$ 0-100%
  2. DjiboutiUS$ 8.4 mn → US$ 80k-99%
  3. SomaliaUS$ 9.7 mn → US$ 460k-95.3%
  4. TanzaniaUS$ 2.9 mn → US$ 530k-81.8%
  5. KenyaUS$ 3.6 mn → US$ 820k-77.2%
  6. SingaporeUS$ 3.7 mn → US$ 960k-73.9%
  7. United States of AmericaUS$ 5.2 mn → US$ 4 mn-23.8%
  8. CanadaUS$ 1.6 mn → US$ 1.4 mn-12%

Which forms sell, and at what price

India’s exports by 8-digit tariff line, 2025-26. Average price = total value ÷ total quantity (TradeStat): the average of every shipment on that line, not the price of any one deal.

Tariff lineValue 2025-26ChangeQuantityAverage price
Sugars, cane sugar, raw, in solid form, as specified in Subheading Note 2 to this chapter, not containing… — cane jaggery1701 13 10US$ 20.2 mn-3.9%28,605 tonnesUS$ 0.71 per kgwas US$ 0.76
Sugars, cane sugar, raw, in solid form, as specified in Subheading Note 2 to this chapter, not containing… — khandsari sugar1701 13 20US$ 2.7 mn-86.4%4,742 tonnesUS$ 0.57 per kgwas US$ 0.54
Other cane sugar specified in note 21701 13 90 · Sugars, cane sugar, raw, in solid form, as specified in Subheading Note 2 to this chapter, not containing…US$ 1.6 mn-89.4%2,029 tonnesUS$ 0.76 per kgwas US$ 0.62

The world market

Each country’s own recorded exports and imports in UN Comtrade, 2023 (the latest year nearly every country has reported).

World imports
US$ 2.83 bn
2023
India among exporters
#7
of 93 countries
India’s share of world exports
4.2%
US$ 33 mn
Left for others to win
US$ 757 mn
exported by other countries

Top exporters — your competitors

  1. 1EswatiniUS$ 194 mn 24.6%
  2. 2United Arab EmiratesUS$ 98.8 mn 12.5%
  3. 3MauritiusUS$ 94.6 mn 12%
  4. 4Dominican Rep.US$ 89.5 mn 11.3%
  5. 5ZimbabweUS$ 55.9 mn 7.1%
  6. 6HondurasUS$ 48.7 mn 6.2%
  7. 7IndiaUS$ 33 mn 4.2%
  8. 8NicaraguaUS$ 28.9 mn 3.7%
  9. 9South AfricaUS$ 26.1 mn 3.3%
  10. 10PanamaUS$ 24.3 mn 3.1%

Biggest buyers in the world

  1. 1Saudi ArabiaUS$ 1.01 bn 35.6%
  2. 2United Arab EmiratesUS$ 514 mn 18.2%
  3. 3IranUS$ 380 mn 13.4%
  4. 4UzbekistanUS$ 376 mn 13.3%
  5. 5South AfricaUS$ 190 mn 6.7%
  6. 6EgyptUS$ 116 mn 4.1%
  7. 7NigeriaUS$ 114 mn 4%
  8. 8USAUS$ 16.2 mn 0.6%
  9. 9SpainUS$ 15.3 mn 0.5%
  10. 10LesothoUS$ 9.9 mn 0.3%

Opportunity: what these countries buy from the world, and from India

Each country’s own recorded imports in UN Comtrade, latest year it has reported. The long light part of each bar is demand other countries are filling today.

Saudi ArabiaUS$ 1.19 bnIndia 0% · gap US$ 1.19 bn
United Arab EmiratesUS$ 514 mnIndia 0.3% · gap US$ 513 mn
South AfricaUS$ 205 mnIndia 0% · gap US$ 205 mn
EgyptUS$ 58.1 mnIndia 0% · gap US$ 58.1 mn
United States of AmericaUS$ 19.6 mnIndia 3.7% · gap US$ 18.8 mn
JapanUS$ 8.3 mnIndia 0.5% · gap US$ 8.3 mn
SpainUS$ 8.1 mnIndia 0% · gap US$ 8.1 mn
FranceUS$ 4.2 mnIndia 0.3% · gap US$ 4.2 mn
NetherlandsUS$ 3.8 mnIndia 0.7% · gap US$ 3.7 mn
GermanyUS$ 3.8 mnIndia 1.5% · gap US$ 3.7 mn

TradeStat’s 2023-24 quantities are double-counted, so that year is left out of the price. Sources: TradeStat — Export Import Data Bank, Department of Commerce · UN Comtrade database (United Nations Statistics Division) · Figures taken 29 October 2026.

Step by step

How to export jaggery (gur)

APEDA says more than 70% of the world’s jaggery is made in India, which makes it the leading exporter. Colombia (panela), Pakistan and Brazil make similar products. Most buyers are South Asian and African communities in the Gulf, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the USA, the UK and East Africa, plus health-food buyers looking for an unrefined sweetener. The openings are chemical-free and organic jaggery, jaggery powder and cubes in retail packs, and jaggery-based sweets.

  1. 01Find a clean unit

    Buy from an FSSAI-licensed jaggery unit with covered boiling, clean moulds and controlled clarification — not open village kolhus.

  2. 02Agree form and pack

    Fix block size or powder mesh, colour, moisture and pack size with the buyer.

  3. 03Test

    Test moisture, sulphur dioxide, insoluble matter and microbes for each lot.

  4. 04Pack against moisture

    Seal in food-grade liners, carton, and load with desiccants.

  5. 05Ship and certify

    File the shipping bill, get the certificate of origin and any health certificate the buyer needs.

  6. 06Get paid and close the file

    Send the original documents through your bank (or to the buyer if paid in advance). Once the money arrives, get the e-BRC and claim RoDTEP and drawback where they apply.

Meet buyers

Trade fairs

Questions

Questions about exporting jaggery (gur)

Why does my jaggery melt in the container?
Too much moisture and heat. Dry it well, pack in liners, and avoid long waits at hot ports.
What is “chemical-free” jaggery?
Jaggery clarified with plant extracts instead of chemicals such as hydros or sulphur. Back the claim with lab reports.
Is jaggery export allowed when sugar is restricted?
Jaggery is Free as far as we could confirm, while white and raw sugar are restricted. Check the jaggery line on DGFT before shipping.
Powder or blocks — which is better?
Blocks suit diaspora grocers; powder suits retail packs and food makers and is easier to use, but must be kept very dry.
Can I sell organic jaggery?
Yes, with NPOP certification of the cane and the processing unit and TraceNet records.
Sources (4)
  1. APEDA — Jaggery and Confectionery profile
  2. Directorate of Marketing & Inspection — AGMARK grade standards (commodity-wise rules)
  3. FSSAI — Notified food testing laboratories
  4. APEDA — Recognised organisations (list of recognised laboratories, FSMS bodies)

Who buys Indian jaggery (gur)

All countries →

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