Whenever Ramadan comes, the sugarcane farmers of Babuganj in Barishal get busy, and this year is no exception. Demand for molasses (gur) from here is high because it is made in the fields without adulteration, and farmers are working all day to supply it.

Inquiries found that the most sugarcane molasses in Barishal is made in various parts of Babuganj upazila, where it is produced by traditional methods right beside the fields. Farmers are profiting from making and selling it.

Abdul Hakim of Baylakhali village in Chandpasha union said he has been making adulteration-free cane molasses by hand and selling it at market for 50 years. Demand is much higher than usual before Ramadan in particular, so they have no time to breathe as the month approaches.

Because their molasses is completely free of adulteration, demand is very high, Abdul Hakim said. Last year they sold about Tk 3 lakh worth, and this year molasses made from sugarcane juice is selling at Tk 200-250 a kg.

Describing the process, he said sugarcane is first taken straight from the field and crushed in a machine to extract the juice. The juice is then carried in a special bucket, poured into a large pan and boiled on an earthen stove. The molasses is made after 40-45 minutes of continuous boiling, with each pan producing about 30-35 kg.

Another cane farmer, Sultan Kha, said: "Because our molasses is free of adulteration, many people now come here and buy it directly. It is a great reward for us that we can give buyers adulteration-free cane molasses. In this, the reward matters much more than the profit."

Nasir Uddin, who had come to buy molasses straight from the field, said: "The tradition of making molasses from sugarcane juice in this upazila is almost a hundred years old. Since my father's and grandfather's time I have seen adulteration-free molasses being made in various places here. Most importantly, no hydros or chemicals are added to the molasses made here, and you can buy it after watching the whole process with your own eyes."

Another buyer, Asad, said molasses made over the heat of an earthen stove is very tasty and the whole process here follows natural methods.

Muradul Hasan, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Barishal (Khamarbari), said: "We have arranged for cane farmers to produce adulteration-free molasses in the fields. Some of them have been given diesel-engine crushing machines, and they have now become commercially successful. I hope there will be a revolution in sugarcane production in this region next year."

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.