Every winter the date palm molasses market at the traditional Sarojganj bazar in Chuadanga district comes alive. Before dawn breaks, producers arrive at the Sarojganj High School ground with their pots of molasses. But the market is losing its tradition as less sap is collected, because date palms are being cut down to fuel brick kilns. That is why molasses prices are higher this year than in the past few years.

Every Friday and Monday, 20-30 truckloads of date palm molasses are sent to various districts of the country. The market stays busy for the three months of winter, with wholesalers coming from different districts to buy. On the two market days each week molasses sells at Tk 90 a kg, against Tk 70 last year.

Several sellers said collecting sap from the trees and making molasses is very hard work, so many are leaving the trade. Date palms are being burned in brick kilns, so the number of trees is falling day by day, and tappers cannot make molasses for lack of sap. That is why prices are high.

Wholesalers said molasses costs more this year than last because less is arriving at the market.

Amjad Hossain, a wholesaler from Barishal, said he buys Chuadanga's date palm molasses wholesale and sells it in various areas. Because the quality is good he buys 2-4 truckloads each market day, though prices are higher than last time.

Molasses sellers in the district say that if the local administration paid some attention to stopping date palms being burned in brick kilns and felled, the market would flourish again as before.

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