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[av_heading heading=’URBAN FARMER | Community-based production of muscovado sugar’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY JULIO P. YAP JR.
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Wednesday, June 7, 2017
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COMMUNITY-based muscovado sugar production could improve the lives of farmer-beneficiaries, particularly the sugarcane farmers during off milling season.
Using practical technology, the initiative could answer the social issues on income and underemployment in a particular community.
One such community to benefit under the initiative are the members of the Barangay Binubuhan Bago Agrarian Reform Farmers Association (BBBARFA) in Barangay Binubuhan, Bago City in Negros Occidental.
The group is composed of 28 farmer-members who are all tilling some 28 hectares of sugarcane plantations in the area.
The community-based muscovado production technology was introduced to the members of the community by Eco-Agri Development Foundation, Inc. (Eco-Agri), in partnership with Bacolod City-based RU Foundry and Machine Shop Corporation (RUFMSC), and Multi-Sectoral Alliance for Development-Negros (MUAD-Negros).
Before, the members of the BBBARFA could not produce muscovado sugar sustainably because they are restrained to produce so little by the use of an indigenous sugarcane juice extractor.
The primitive process of extracting sugarcane juice using the indigenous contraption became a hindrance to improve the lives of the sugarcane farmers in the area because they could only produce so small amount of juice to be processed into muscovado sugar.
But with the use of a revolutionary sugarcane juicer developed by RUFMSC, the production of muscovado sugar became easier and more sustainable, which is expected to eventually uplift the lives of the members of the community in Barangay Binubuhan.
The initiative likewise focuses on working with and enhancing the social capital within the community by encouraging participation, inclusion and utilizing a practical and sustainable approach to achieve social change.
The program also supports the effort of the Department of Agrarian Reform on social entrepreneurship.
The main objective of the project is to answer the social issue on unemployment among the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries during the off milling season.
Muscovado is defined as a type of partially refined to unrefined brown sugar with a strong molasses content and flavor.
It is produced from the juice of sugarcane by boiling to a prescribed temperature and evaporation until crystallization occurs.
The boiled sugarcane juice is then granulated in a cooling pan by a constant shifting action througha traditional manual method.
The product, which could vary from light to a very dark brown color,will become slightly coarser and stickier than most brown sugars.
Traditionally, muscovado takes its flavor and color from its source – sugarcane juice, and has a reasonable long shelf life.
On the other hand, the www.allaboutdiabetes.net website describes muscovado sugar as the immediate sugar created in crystallizing sugarcane juice.
It is also considered as the purest form of sugar, and as such, muscovado sugar retains the natural nutritional contents of sugarcane such as calcium, chromium, cobalt, copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, potassium, iron and zinc, as well as vitamins, phytonutrients, antioxidants, proteins, soluble fiber, and other healthy compounds.
These nutrients are removed or damaged during filtering, bleaching and heating to produce white sugar.
Because of these nutrients, muscovado sugar is claimed to be healthier than ordinary white refined sugar. (jaypeeyap@ymail.com/PN)
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