As across the country, a heatwave is blowing over the hill district of Khagrachhari, and the prolonged heat has made life miserable. Seeking a little relief from the scorching days and nights, people in Khagrachhari have turned to the juicy kernels of young palm fruit, which are now in greater demand.

Demand for the kernels rises with the temperature. In the unbearable summer heat, tender palm kernels bring passers-by at least a moment's relief from thirst. Though cheap, fresh, formalin-free palm kernels are very good for the body. On hot days their watery content fights dehydration, and they improve eyesight and appetite. They also provide calcium, vitamins A, B and C and other nutrients.

Recently palm kernels have been on sale beside busy roads at markets in various upazilas of Khagrachhari. Buyers are eagerly eating them, and many take the juicy fruit home. As a seasonal fruit, palm kernels are also contributing to the rural economy.

Md Iyasin and Abul Kalam were selling palm kernels beside the Khagrachhari-Chattogram-Dhaka regional highway in Matiranga, Khagrachhari. They said they collect the palm fruit from remote Karallyachhari, Ramshira and Ajodhya in Matiranga, and sell each fruit for Tk 10 to 15 depending on its size.

Md Ilias, a palm kernel seller in Jaliapara who said he collects the fruit from neighbouring Noakhali and Feni, said: "Demand for palm kernels has risen with the heat. Every year I sell them from the middle of Baishakh to the end of Jyoishtho. From morning to evening every day, 300 to 500 kernels are sold."

Abdul Karim, a palm kernel seller in Panchhari, said: "Each palm fruit has two or three kernels. Some people like them a bit soft, others a bit firm. I sell 40 to 50 bunches of palm fruit a day. The bunches are cut from the trees and brought to market. It's hard work, but quite profitable."

Buyer Md Rafiq Ullah said: "Palm kernels are a tasty fruit. It feels good to eat them after coming in from the heat. Demand for them has grown in this year's intense heat."

Jasim Uddin Joynal said: "Palm kernels are everyone's favourite fruit for relief in this heat."

Dr Parag Dey of Chattogram Medical College Hospital said: "Palm kernels keep the body and stomach cool in intense heat. Every 100 grams contain 0.8 g of edible minerals, 20.7 g of carbohydrate, 0.8 g of protein and 0.5 g of fibre. The 0.5 g of dietary fibre makes them good for digestion. They have a surprising amount of food energy. With about 87 kilocalories and 8 mg of calcium, palm kernels also help build bones. With their various vitamins and minerals, they also work as a remedy for many ailments."

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