Brisk business of date juice
Sunday, 20 December 2009
Our Correspondent
GOPALGANJ, Dec 19: The extraction of date juice is going on in full swing in five upazilas of Gopalganj amid a brisk business of the seasonal food item.
One kilogramme of quality date molasses is now being sold at Tk 60 to 65. However, many poor extractors do not get the actual price for their product as the markets are being controlled by a number of middlemen.
During the winter season, date juice is very appetizing drink in our country. The extraction started from the beginning of winter and will continue until the end of the season.
Winter brings a festive mood among the rural people from time immemorial. Farmers are harvesting paddy now in their fields while rural wives become busy making various delicious cakes from newly harvested rice, date and molasses that is made from date juice.
The man who extracts juice is locally called a "gachhi". Gachhis are now busy preparing date trees from the extraction of juice.
Date juice has a great demand among all section of people. A glass of juice is being sold at Tk 8 to 10 in different hats and bazars in the district.
Kanmul Sheikh (40), an extractor of village Bedgram under Gopalganj Sadar Upazila told this correspondent that he has been extracting juice for the last 20 years though it is a seasonal work. Previously he used sell pitchers.
The district is famous for quality date juice and better quality of date molasses. But during the last four years winter does not last long in the country. As a result the growers cannot produce much molasses in this season.
According to an unofficial survey there are at least 1,25,000 to 1,50,000 date trees in five upazilas of the district. Some 300 to 350 tonnes of date molasses are produced in the district annually.
GOPALGANJ, Dec 19: The extraction of date juice is going on in full swing in five upazilas of Gopalganj amid a brisk business of the seasonal food item.
One kilogramme of quality date molasses is now being sold at Tk 60 to 65. However, many poor extractors do not get the actual price for their product as the markets are being controlled by a number of middlemen.
During the winter season, date juice is very appetizing drink in our country. The extraction started from the beginning of winter and will continue until the end of the season.
Winter brings a festive mood among the rural people from time immemorial. Farmers are harvesting paddy now in their fields while rural wives become busy making various delicious cakes from newly harvested rice, date and molasses that is made from date juice.
The man who extracts juice is locally called a "gachhi". Gachhis are now busy preparing date trees from the extraction of juice.
Date juice has a great demand among all section of people. A glass of juice is being sold at Tk 8 to 10 in different hats and bazars in the district.
Kanmul Sheikh (40), an extractor of village Bedgram under Gopalganj Sadar Upazila told this correspondent that he has been extracting juice for the last 20 years though it is a seasonal work. Previously he used sell pitchers.
The district is famous for quality date juice and better quality of date molasses. But during the last four years winter does not last long in the country. As a result the growers cannot produce much molasses in this season.
According to an unofficial survey there are at least 1,25,000 to 1,50,000 date trees in five upazilas of the district. Some 300 to 350 tonnes of date molasses are produced in the district annually.