In the sugarcane fields of northern Nigeria, a centuries-old tradition continues quietly, even as the country depends heavily on imported sugar.

Jamilu Usman is among a dwindling number of producers still making jaggery, a natural sweetener known locally as mazarkwaila. Using techniques handed down through generations, he turns freshly harvested sugarcane into the dark, unrefined sugar that was once a staple in many communities.

The practice has become increasingly rare as industrially produced sugar dominates the market. Nigeria now imports the vast majority of the sugar it consumes, leaving traditional producers struggling to compete.

Yet for those who remain in the trade, jaggery making is about more than income. It represents a link to the past and a determination to preserve a craft rooted in local knowledge, at a time when many traditional livelihoods are being pushed to the margins.

–ChannelAfrica–