'' served with a lump of piloncillo The main producer of panela is Colombia (about 1.4 million tons/year), where panela production is one of the most important
economic activities, with the highest index of panela consumption
per capita worldwide. Panela is also produced in
Ecuador,
Guatemala,
Mexico,
Panama,
Peru,
Chile,
Venezuela, Brazil, and
Bolivia (where it is called
chankaka or
empanizao). In Colombia, the panela industry is an important source of employment, with about 350,000 people working in nearly 20,000
trapiches (panela farms). In 2003, Colombian sugarcane contributed 4.2% of the value of agricultural production (not counting coffee) and 1.9% of national agricultural activity of that country. That year, it was ninth in contributions to production value. Similarly, it represents 10.7% of the area for permanent crops and 6.2% of the total area cultivated in Colombia, sixth place among the country's crops, behind only coffee, corn, rice, bananas, and cotton. This product is produced predominantly in the
rural economy, the basic economy of 236 municipalities in 12 national departments. An estimated 70,000 farm units cultivate sugarcane for mills, which generate more than 25 million annually in wages, employing around 350,000 people, or 12% of the economically active rural population, making it the second-largest employer after agricultural coffee production. Worldwide, the Colombians are the largest consumers of sugarcane, at more than per capita. To the extent it is a low-cost sweetener with important contributions of minerals and trace amounts of vitamins, high intake occurs mainly in strata. Panela consumption represents 2.18% of expenditures on food and in some areas accounts for up to 9% of food expenditures in low-income sectors. == Uses ==