Nimtala bazar in Jhenidah

Hundreds of maunds of date molasses sold twice a week

Nimtala Bazaar of Kaliganj upazila headquarters in Jhenidah is crowded with thousands of buyers and sellers of date molasses twice every week on Friday and Monday. It is said to be the largest date molasses market in the south-western districts.

 The market springs to life for three to four months a year, between late November and late February, when the date molasses and date cakes are produced in the districts. Date molasses is known as “Khejur gur” in Bangla. People call the market at Nimtala, Gurerhat.

 Molasses producer Rahmat Ali of Borobazar, under the Kaliganj upazila, said the molasses producers from Kaliganj, Kotchandpur and Jhenidah upazilas, Bagherpara of Jashore and Magura and Salikha upazila of Magura arrive at the market twice a week to sell their produce.

 The farmers producing molasses said each of the earthen pots carries eight kilogram to eleven kilogram of molasses and are sold between Tk 600 to 800, while each kilogram of the date cake, widely known as “Patali” sells at Tk 120 to 150. The wholesalers buy the same from Nimtala and sell at other weekly haats and bazars in the district and outside at a higher rate.  Babar Ali, a molasses and cake purchaser from Barishal, said buyers like him from Dhaka, Chattogram, Barishal, Rajshahi and other districts come to Nimtala Gurerhat for wholesale purchase. The products are sold there at a reasonable price. There is a great demand for the items because of their flavour and taste, Babar Ali said.

 Mainul Haque of Maldahpatty, Dinajpur, said the people of the northern districts were very interested in consuming the date molasses and cake of greater Jashore, especially Kaliganj and Khajura, as the products have a distinctive taste and flavour. But those produced in Dinajpur, are not so tasty.

 The people of Dinajpur like to treat their relatives with the molasses and cakes of the Jashore area, which they find in Nimtala Bazar. On an average, one truck of the products is sent to north the Bengal district every week, Mainul Haque added.  According the molasses vendors, a number of dishonest traders mix sugar with the pure and fresh molasses of Jhenidah, thus hurting the credibility of the traditional natural sweetmeat.

 Nanda Lal Adhikary, a sweetmeat producer in Jhenidah, when contacted at Nimtala Gurerhat, said he uses fresh molasses with sugar to prepare a special item of sweetmeat “Sandesh” from pure cow-milk, that has a good sale for its unique flavour. Each kilogram of this Sandesh is sold at Tk 250 to 300 in the market, he said.  Upazila agriculture officer (UAO) of the department of agriculture extension (DAE) in Kaliganj, Jhenidah, said about 300 maunds of molasses and cakes are sold in the market, from where the government gets a substantial amount of revenue. The date molasses and cakes have the potential of improving the socio-economic condition of the people of Kaliganj and the surrounding areas of Jhenidah and Jashore, the UAO said.

 DAE Jhenidah district deputy director GM Abdur Rauf said a huge number of date trees are felled everyday for use as fuel in the brick kilns. But the authorities concerned have not taken any serious steps to stop the rampant felling of these valuable trees.

 “The DAE has been motivating people to plant more date saplings date to boost molasses production for their own benefit. Sometimes we have to import sugar by spending foreign currency. If the date trees could be saved from the clutches of those who use them as fuel, they could boost date juice production. Huge foreign currency could be saved”, the deputy director said.

 

Nimtala bazar in Jhenidah

Hundreds of maunds of date molasses sold twice a week

Nimtala Bazaar of Kaliganj upazila headquarters in Jhenidah is crowded with thousands of buyers and sellers of date molasses twice every week on Friday and Monday. It is said to be the largest date molasses market in the south-western districts. The market springs to life for three to four months a year, between late November and late February, when the date molasses and date cakes are produced in the districts. Date molasses is known as Khejur gur in Bangla. People call the market at Nimtala, Gurerhat. Molasses producer Rahmat Ali of Borobazar, under the Kaliganj upazila, said the molasses producers from Kaliganj, Kotchandpur and Jhenidah upazilas, Bagherpara of Jashore and Magura and Salikha upazila of Magura arrive at the market twice a week to sell their produce. The farmers producing molasses said each of the earthen pots carries eight kilogram to eleven kilogram of molasses and are sold between Tk 600 to 800, while each kilogram of the date cake, widely known as Patali sells at Tk 120 to 150. The wholesalers buy the same from Nimtala and sell at other weekly haats and bazars in the district and outside at a higher rate. Babar Ali, a molasses and cake purchaser from Barishal, said buyers like him from Dhaka, Chattogram, Barishal, Rajshahi and other districts come to Nimtala Gurerhat for wholesale purchase. The products are sold there at a reasonable price. There is a great demand for the items because of their flavour and taste, Babar Ali said. Mainul Haque of Maldahpatty, Dinajpur, said the people of the northern districts were very interested in consuming the date molasses and cake of greater Jashore, especially Kaliganj and Khajura, as the products have a distinctive taste and flavour. But those produced in Dinajpur, are not so tasty. The people of Dinajpur like to treat their relatives with the molasses and cakes of the Jashore area, which they find in Nimtala Bazar. On an average, one truck of the products is sent to north the Bengal district every week, Mainul Haque added. According the molasses vendors, a number of dishonest traders mix sugar with the pure and fresh molasses of Jhenidah, thus hurting the credibility of the traditional natural sweetmeat. Nanda Lal Adhikary, a sweetmeat producer in Jhenidah, when contacted at Nimtala Gurerhat, said he uses fresh molasses with sugar to prepare a special item of sweetmeat Sandesh from pure cow-milk, that has a good sale for its unique flavour. Each kilogram of this Sandesh is sold at Tk 250 to 300 in the market, he said. Upazila agriculture officer (UAO) of the department of agriculture extension (DAE) in Kaliganj, Jhenidah, said about 300 maunds of molasses and cakes are sold in the market, from where the government gets a substantial amount of revenue. The date molasses and cakes have the potential of improving the socio-economic condition of the people of Kaliganj and the surrounding areas of Jhenidah and Jashore, the UAO said. DAE Jhenidah district deputy director GM Abdur Rauf said a huge number of date trees are felled everyday for use as fuel in the brick kilns. But the authorities concerned have not taken any serious steps to stop the rampant felling of these valuable trees. The DAE has been motivating people to plant more date saplings date to boost molasses production for their own benefit. Sometimes we have to import sugar by spending foreign currency. If the date trees could be saved from the clutches of those who use them as fuel, they could boost date juice production. Huge foreign currency could be saved, the deputy director said.