International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social Development

India, one of the world’s largest producers of sugarcane, has a long-standing tradition of processing sugarcane into various value-added products such as jaggery, liquid jaggery, and sugar. Among these, liquid jaggery (locally known as Joni bella) has recently gained prominence due to its nutritional, medicinal, and health benefits, coupled with the rising consumer preference for natural sweeteners. The present study was undertaken to identify and analyze the major constraints in the production and marketing of liquid jaggery in the Malnad region of Karnataka, which includes districts like Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada—areas well-known for sugarcane cultivation and traditional jaggery making. Primary data were collected from 30 owners of liquid jaggery processing units using a pre-tested structured questionnaire through the snowball sampling technique. Garrett’s Ranking Technique was employed to prioritize the constraints faced by producers and marketers. The results revealed that irregular and insufficient supply of sugarcane (mean score 78.62) was the most critical production constraint, followed by high cost of raw materials (74.80) and lack of mechanization (71.24). Other significant issues included poor quality of sugarcane, short shelf-life of liquid jaggery, and inadequate storage facilities. On the marketing side, lack of organized marketing channels (78.12) emerged as the most severe constraint, followed by absence of standardization and branding (75.03), price fluctuations (71.50), and limited consumer awareness (69.20). High transportation costs, dependence on middlemen, and competition from refined sugar further hindered market efficiency. The study concludes that the liquid jaggery sector in the Malnad region faces several technical, infrastructural, and marketing challenges. Addressing these constraints through mechanization, quality assurance, improved storage and packaging, organized marketing, and institutional support can significantly enhance productivity, profitability, and sustainability of this traditional rural-based agro-enterprise.