Veeramangudi village in Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, is famous for making soft, crumbly atchu vellam jaggery. Factories here produce about 245 tonnes of jaggery yearly, packed in 7,000 bags of 35 kg each. However, a yellow leaf disease has hit sugarcane crops severely. This disease is causing many jaggery factories to shut down. The decline threatens the local jaggery industry and the tradition linked to Pongal festival in Tamil Nadu. The villagers and factory owners are worried about the future of this heritage product.