<span>Story: Building on a 200-year family tradition, Jamilu Usman produces a natural sweetener called jaggery from the sugarcane fields of Kano, northern Nigeria.</span><span>It is a small-scale operation that provides an alternative to the country’s large-scale imports of goods.</span><span>Nigeria consumes approximately 1.5 million tons of sugar annually.</span><span>The vast majority is imported as raw sugar and refined at three major industrial refineries.</span><span>Brazil is the largest supplier, accounting for more than 97% of Nigeria’s raw sugar import market.</span><span>But traditional producers like Usman continue to perpetuate ancient craftsmanship passed down from generation to generation.</span><span> “This jaggery is processed from sugarcane that we grow and wait for it to mature, and after the monsoon, we set up machines and cut the cane stalks. We pass the stalks through the machine to separate the juice from the pulp and then boil the juice.”</span><span>The hot syrup is poured into steel molds, allowed to cool and solidify into blocks.</span><span>Workers then pack the jaggery into cartons ready for sale.</span><span>The traditional sweetener has become a profitable export for retailers such as Alkasim Zamba.</span><span> “We buy a box of jaggery for $19 (30,000 naira) and export it to Ghana, Chad, Cameroon and various other countries. We sell it everywhere.” </span><span>For local consumers, jaggery offers an affordable and healthier alternative to refined white sugar.</span><span>It meets the demand for natural sweeteners in the West African market</span><span>and providing livelihoods to rural communities. </span>
