Union minister inaugurates jaggery festival in Muzaffarnagar
Union minister Sanjeev Kumar Balyan inaugurated a three-day 'Gur Mahotsav' (jaggery festival) here Saturday.
The first-of-its-kind festival will continue till June 10, Muzaffarnagar District Magistrate Ajay Pandey said.
Jaggery manufacturers from various places will display their products at the festival, he told reporters here.
After inaugurating the festival, Balyan, the Union Minister of State for Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, said more than a hundred modern jaggery units will be established in Muzaffarnagar district where chocolate and other sweets will be manufactured from 'gur'.
He said the government would look into the demands of jaggery manufacturers, including providing GST exemption and electricity subsidy for manufacturing units and bringing jaggery under agricultural produce.
According to district officials, the jaggery mandi in Muzaffarnagar in western Uttar Pradesh is the largest in the country.