A worker watches as containers of date molasses are ready for shipment at a farm in Natore's Gurdaspur. Export receipts from local date molasses are increasing, helping the country diversify its shipment-basket.
People familiar with the development told the FE that shipment is rising as demand for high-quality gur (molasses) is high among expatriate Bangladeshis.
Though the sweets item, which contains fibre and minerals, is now being exported to a few ethnic markets, it has the potential to capture the mainstream markets of Europe and Middle-East, sector-insiders said.
Md Delowar Hossain, a date molasses producer at Gurdaspur, Natore told the FE that many of his fellow villagers stopped making gur (molasses) due to losses a decade ago as people became much familiar with sugar, which cheaper item than gur.
But its export value has encouraged more than 200 farmers in his territory in recent years to return to production of date molasses, he said.
"We are getting Tk 100-Tk 120 for a kg quality molasses both of liquid and solid from the exporters," he said.
Villagers are now earning an additional Tk 5,000-Tk 10,000 by supplying gur, he said.
Some 25 companies sent 150 tonnes of date molasses worth U$ 1.2 million in the last financial year to European Union and Middle-Eastern countries, according to the Bangladesh Fruits, Vegetables and Allied Product Exporters Association (BFVAPEA).
Exports of molasses were 30-35 tonnes including both of sugarcane and date varieties worth $ 0.35 million three years back, the BFVAPEA data showed.
Md Shariful Islam Shaurav, proprietor of Shohan Enterprise, told the FE that the key buyers of date molasses are Bangladeshi diaspora living in the United Kingdom, Kuwait, the UAE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
They search for the item to make cakes and sweet items while abroad.
He said the item has a considerable demand among European and Arabians for having low sugar and high minerals and fibres.
"But we need to promote it," he said.
He said India is leading the date molasses market with its more than 5,000 tonnes of shipment to the UK and Middle-East.
"We can export at least 2,500 tonnes in the next five years if the government lowers freight charges," he added.
Birmingham and London-based Taza Food Ltd, Continental Foods and Vegetable, Sonali Super Market are some of the key buyers of Bangladeshi date molasses in the UK, he said.
Apart from Shohan Enterprise, BD Foods, Swadesh Foods, Lee Enterprise are some major exporters of molasses in Bnagladesh.
General-secretary of the Bangladesh Agro-processors' Association Masoodur Rahman told the FE that maintaining quality is key to sustaining business.
"For procuring and exporting fresh molasses, we work directly with the farmers, avoiding middlemen, in order to improve lives of the producers," he said.
He also noted freight charge was higher in Bangladesh, which inhibits exporters from boosting export.
"We have to pay US$ 2.8 at a kg molasses as freight charge to send it to the UK, which is 30-40 per cent higher than that of India, the main competitor," he said.
Mr Rahman said there wa now a shortage of date trees in Jessore, Pabna, Rajshahi, Kushtia, Faridpur and Khulna regions.
"The government will have to promote date tree plantation by providing quality plants to villagers to help the molasses industry grow," he said.
Bangladesh produces 20,000 tonnes of date molasses annually, which is usually used to make traditional cake and sweets.
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