A chopping block (a log section) is essential for cutting sacrificial meat on Eid-ul-Azha, and in Barishal tamarind blocks are the most prized. Because log sections are needed to cut the meat into pieces cleanly for sharing after slaughter, they are in demand everywhere, and as the sacrifice draws closer, demand for them is rising across Barishal.

Depending on size, each block is selling for Tk 300 to 1,000. After meeting local demand in Barishal, timber traders send the blocks every year to Dhaka and other big cities. Besides the city's sawmills and timber traders, grocers also sell blocks as seasonal traders. Sales are good, and the trade goes on until the night before Eid.

Md Sirajul Islam, a timber trader at Swarupkathi in Pirojpur district, the largest timber market in the south, said the market is busy with timber sales all year round, but demand for chopping blocks rises when the sacrifice comes, and tamarind blocks are the most sought after. For 15 days before the sacrifice, workers at the sawmills cut and prepare blocks by size. From there, after meeting local demand, traders send them every year to Dhaka and other big cities.

He said that last year he sent about 600 CFT (one CFT equals 12 inches/12 inches) of round tamarind timber to Dhaka at Tk 550, as well as 500 blocks. He hopes to sell even more this year.

Md Sirajul Islam is not alone: many other Swarupkathi traders send tamarind wood to Dhaka and other big cities when the sacrifice comes.

In Barishal city, timber traders at various sawmills were seen cutting big logs into blocks for the sacrifice. Seasonal sellers buy the blocks from them and sell them by roadsides across the city, and people come from different parts of the city to buy them.

Munna, a sawmill owner in the Kather Pul area of Nazir Mahalla, said blocks are mainly made from tamarind, neem, koroi and other trees, but tamarind blocks top buyers' demand because tamarind logs are the best. Blocks made from other trees shed wood particles into the meat and spoil it. Tamarind logs also do not rot easily and, if cleaned and cared for after use, last a long time. That is why demand for tamarind blocks rises for everyone when Eid-ul-Azha comes.

Another trader, Parvez, said tamarind trees are no longer as easy to find as before, and when found they have to be bought at a high price. They are then cut into sections at the sawmill and sold. Each block is kept 1 foot or 1.25 feet long and sells for Tk 300 to Tk 1,000 depending on size. Not every tree makes a good block, he said.

Kanchan Fakir, a seasonal seller of tamarind blocks who lives in the city's Bangla Bazar area, said demand for blocks has risen around Eid-ul-Azha. He sells small, medium and large blocks according to buyers' needs, and tamarind blocks sell the most.

He said not many tamarind trees were available at Swarupkathi, so he bought some from Patuakhali. Bringing the trees by the vehicle-load and cutting them to size cost him about Tk 200 to 400 a block, and he is selling them for Tk 300 to 650.

Seasonal block sellers in the city said households start buying blocks a week before the sacrifice, though many buy them a day or two before. Because a block is bought once a year, people do not bargain much, so selling blocks in the sacrifice season brings a good profit.

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