400 Jaggery Units Shut in Maharashtra FDA Crackdown

Nearly 400 jaggery-making units in Daund taluka, Pune district have shut down and production in Kolhapur district has come to a complete halt following an intensified FDA drive against adulterated jaggery across Maharashtra.

The crackdown gained momentum after FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe launched a statewide food adulteration drive. Raids on units in Khamgaon and Boripardhi resulted in seizure of allegedly substandard jaggery worth Rs 17 lakh. Daund and Kolhapur are among Maharashtra's most significant gul-producing belts, making the shutdowns a direct hit to regional supply.

With hundreds of units idle and no word yet on when production resumes, the disruption is likely to squeeze jaggery availability across the state.