Survey finds date trees being used in illegal brick kilns
:: Ranjon Kumer Mollik From Madaripur ::
The heritage industry of date molasses and Patali production in Madaripur is losing its past glory due to lack of marketing, shortage of firewood and depletion of date plants.
The production of date molasses and Patali, a date-based confection in the district used to be so rich and widespread in quality and taste in the past that it used to be mentioned in geography books.
Thousands of maunds of date molasses and Patali were produced in the district every year and sent to other parts of the country from different markets every day.
Patali gur of natural brown colour and chemically whitened were produced all over the district. Buyers from different parts of the country would flock to the district to buy Patali and molasses packed in earthen jars of different sizes.
The sweet flavour of Nalen Patali and Nalen Gur made of newly-extracted date juice brought people in droves to have a taste of these traditional items.
But there has been a drastic fall in production of date molasses and Patali in recent years.
An unofficial survey revealed that the number of date trees is decreasing sharply as these are being used in the brick-fields of the district violating the government ban.
The number of date trees in the district was about two hundred thousand in the year 1992, the survey report said. On an average 3,000 maunds of molasses were produced from the juice of these trees.
But the production decreased substantially during the last few years and the earning from it declined, said local producers.
The molasses of Khoajpur, Dasherjangal, Charmuguria and Madra of the district have special demand for its taste and quality. Patali and Hazari types of molasses attract many people for their taste and fragrance.
Several village markets in Madaripur Sadar, Mustafapur, Kalkini, Angaria and Goshairhat were famous for high quality molasses.
But the marketing centres are losing their importance as the production of molasses declined sharply.
Patali and date molasses have gone beyond the purchasing capacity of the poor and common people. A small jar of raw date juice containing 8 to 10 glasses of juice sells at Tk 80 to 100.
One kilogram of Patali sells at Tk 230 to Tk 300 in the retail market. A small jar of date molasses sells at Tk 400 to Tk 500.
Lal Chan Bepari, a Gachi (who collects the date juice) said scarcity of firewood for boiling date juice is another problem that has led to the depletion of date trees in the district.
Ripon Chandra Mollik, president of the economist platform Madaripur Orthoniti Samity said, the government initiative can save this once-profitable sector.
Deputy Commissioner Yesmeen Akther said the district administration has taken steps to save the heritage industry of date molasses of Madaripur.
Meanwhile, an order of 10,000 date saplings have been sent to the Horticulture Center to increase the plants in the district, she added.