Oil mills in Shailkupa on verge of shutdown

JHENIDAH, Feb 6: Seven oil mills, popularly known by its ethnic name as 'Jat Kol' (JK) were in operation within Shailkupa municipality area 10-15 years ago. However, now only one of them is in operation extracting oil mostly from mustard and sometimes from sesame, tisi etc. etc.
Now-a-days soybean oil is more popular than these indigenous oils, and manufacturers are lacking in interest to extract oil from locally produced seeds. This is true not only of Shailkupa upazila but also throughout the nook and corner of the country.
Bipul Saha, Manager of Kazi Oil Mill situated in front of Janata Bank at Bridge Road in Shailkupa, told this correspondent that around 150 ghanis were brought to the mill in the every haat day twice a week, which at present has come down to 25-30 ghanies. Due to availability of readymade bottles of mustard oil manufactured by well-known companies like Suresh, Radhuni, Square, etc., people do not like to get mustard oil extracted in the local mills.
It was a custom and local culture of the ethnic Bangalee to use mustard oil in cooking, making potato grinds and to use for massages on human body before taking a bath.
However, some people in the villages as well as in the moffasil areas still prefer to massage their bodies with mustard oil before taking a bath instead of using toilet soaps.