Chui jhal has long been used as a traditional spice in the Khulna-Bagerhat-Satkhira region to enhance the taste and aroma of beef. With the Eid sacrifice approaching, demand for chui jhal has risen in Bagerhat, and so have prices.

Heaps of black, rooted stems can be seen in front of kitchen markets and grocery shops across the district. This climbing plant, black outside and white inside, is chui jhal. Its shops are crowded with local buyers as well as wholesale and retail traders from different parts of the country.

Chui jhal trader Jahangir Sardar said he goes from village to village buying chui plants, then cuts and sells them. In normal times he sells four to five maunds a day wholesale, but during Eid he sells 40 to 50 maunds. In normal times chui jhal sells for Tk 400 to Tk 1,200, and at Eid prices rise to Tk 500 to Tk 1,500, he said.

Mamun Sheikh, a chui jhal trader at Fakirhat bazar, said he was getting a better response this year than in other years. "I also sell online, but I get more response offline. We have hill chui, Rangpur chui, Indian chui and Bagerhat's local chui. Bagerhat's chui jhal has the best taste, so it is in great demand," he said.

Buyer Abu Bakkar said chui jhal adds flavour to food and also has medicinal properties. "Meat just isn't right without chui jhal," he said.

Buyer Nazir Uddin said reasonable-quality chui jhal can be had for Tk 500-700. "Cutting this chui and adding it to meat improves the taste. It is also good for the body and eases the pain of those with rheumatism," he said.

Chui grower Shariful Kamal Karim said no separate land is needed to grow it. Planted at the base of betel nut, mango or any other tree around the homestead or in a garden, the chui vine grows well and becomes ready for sale within two to three years. "Because it takes little effort to grow and the price is good, I have started growing it commercially," he said.

Md Motahar Hossain, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Bagerhat, said Bagerhat's chui jhal is in demand all year because of its superior taste, but demand rises several times during the Eid sacrifice. Alongside advising farmers to expand chui cultivation, seedlings are being distributed, he said.

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