Magic of molasses in Patuakhali: Sweet delicacy from Gol trees
Around 300 farmer families pass the busiest time of the year from December to April producing molasses, worth crores of takas, from the juice collected from mangrove Gol (Nipa palm) trees in different areas of Patuakhali.
People engage in this seasonal occupation of producing molasses at a few villages, including Nilganj, Nabipur, Mithaganj, and Pakhimara in Kalapara upazila of the coastal district.
The molasses made from Gol is said to be delicious in taste and high in demand across the country, making it a source of extra income for locals.
Sajal Mitra, 50, said farmers of this region get additional income by producing molasses in the winter along with their other crops and it is now being supplied to different parts of the country to meet the demand for molasses.
ARM Saifullah, agricultural extension officer of Kalapara upazila, told this correspondent that there are Gol trees on 65 hectares of land in this upazila.
Last year, molasses worth Tk 3 crore were produced here and this year, a production target of Tk 4 crore has been set.
Md Mahbubul Haque Patwary, additional secretary (planning wing) of the Ministry of Agriculture, went to the district to inspect the field-level agricultural activities in Kalapara on Saturday.
On his visit, he shared plans stating that as a special seasonal agricultural product in this area, the ministry will work to ensure the production of molasses in a healthy environment and also ensure the availability of technical and marketing facilities for producers. This will help in the branding of molasses in Patuakhali, he said.
Parimal Chandra Howladar, 55, a molasses producer from Nabipur village, talked about the process of making molasses from Gol trees.
As December commences, the stem emerging from the fruit of the Gol trees is cut with a sharp blade and the juice comes out drop by drop from the prickly part of the fruit. To collect the juice, a plastic or earthen pot is hung underneath and the juice accumulates there. Every morning and afternoon, this juice is collected and brought home, placed in a large tin pot, and burnt in the fire.
The juice transforms into molasses after three to four hours on the fire, and it is then packaged in plastic containers. Since no medicine or chemical product is used in the preparation, it is healthy and quite tasty, he added.
Some families have been involved in molasses production for generations.
The family of Hari Narayan Mitra, 65, has been involved in this occupation for three generations. He added that they mostly sell their molasses in the local retail market but if a market is organised by the government, they would get better prices and the trading would be more profitable.
Nithur Howladar, another local, said he collects 10 pitchers daily from 250 Gol trees, which produce around 30kg of molasses. If a market is created by the government where wholesale traders from different parts of the country could buy molasses, farmers could sell molasses at a better price and make more profit, he added.
Another molasses producer, Sumit Mondal, 60, said he collects 8-10 pitchers of juice daily from 300 Gol trees and can produce 25 to 30 kg of molasses. He sells it in the local market at Tk 180 to Tk 200 per kg. He also said that he has already supplied 100 kg molasses to a company in Pabna through courier.
Sumit's wife Namita Mondal said buyers from different areas including Dhaka, Pabna, Barisal, and Khulna also bought their molasses using mobile financial services.
Shasdhar Howladar, a resident of the village, said it is not only juice that can be obtained from Gol trees, but the leaves are also used for kindling and as canopy for houses. However, the Gol trees in the area are gradually decreasing in number because many people are destroying the tree groves and turning them into agricultural land for paddy cultivation, he added.
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