With the first signs of winter, gachhis (sap collectors) in Atrai upazila of Naogaon are busy collecting date palm sap. In a few days they will begin turning the sap into lali (liquid molasses) and gur (molasses), work that will continue until around the Bengali month of Magh. Atrai upazila was once famous for its date palm sap and molasses.
Over time, date palm molasses, one of the oldest traditional products of rural Bengal, has been on the verge of disappearing. Not long ago there were countless date palm trees beside most homes, on the ridges of fields, next to thickets and along both sides of the roads. These trees grew almost naturally, without any care. After meeting each family's needs, the surplus sap was made into delicious date palm molasses. But because of a lack of awareness among ordinary people in rural areas, these environment-friendly trees are now rarely seen beside ponds or roads.
Leasing trees for molasses
Gachhi Kalam Mia, who comes from Lalpur upazila of Natore, said: "For our work we pitch tents almost every year on the land of Abdul Kuddus in Bajrapur village of Atrai upazila. We take the trees from the owners in the area for four months, paying five to seven kg of date palm molasses per tree, depending on the tree. Because we cannot get as many trees as we need, there is less sap, and we cannot make as much molasses as we hope to. Even so, this year we have made agreements with the owners of more than 200 date palm trees."
The gachhis hope that this year good-quality date palm molasses will fetch a somewhat higher price than sugarcane molasses and sugar are selling for in the current market.
Upazila agriculture officer Kawsar Hossain said date palm trees are close to extinction in every region of the country. The gachhis' work of cutting date palm trees is an art full of skill. There is technique in cutting away the branches to expose the white "chest" of the tree, and it takes patience and waiting. That is why skilled gachhis are in demand during the season, he said.
Source: Bangladesh Pratidin. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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