Gachis busy in collecting date juice, making molasses

Ishwardi (Pabna) Correspondent :
The Gachis of Ishwardi are passing busy time in collecting date juice and making molasses by burning the juice. The demand for juice increased at the beginning of winter. Besides, the demand for molasses made by burning the juice is also high.
During the winter season, traditional rural villages of Abhaman Bengal make various types of pithas and pies with date juice. Besides, various Pithapuli are made with jaggery. Gachis have to spend busy time collecting palm juice commercially and making molasses. Farmers have started cutting trees to collect sap. But the amount of extracted juice is now very less. Varieties of patali and red jaggery are made by burning the delicious juice of dates. The growers here are also financially benefiting by selling dates and juice.
In the morning, before the sun begins to shine, jaggery is made by burning the juice. After extracting date palm juice, the gachiras rushed to the big stove with the juice collected in the pot. Red molasses is made after drying these juices and burning them for two and a half to three hours.
Gachira said that date palm sap is collected from the beginning of the winter season. The sap can be collected for about four months in winter. We run the household by making different types of patali and red jaggery from the juice and selling it in the market. He also said that there is an increased demand for date juice and molasses for winter pithas and pies. Every afternoon to evening, the white part of the palm tree is cleaned and small earthen pots are tied for the juice. Then the sap is collected from those trees from dawn. However, the amount of sap extraction is very low as winter has not set in yet.
Gachi Roshan said, I have been collecting juice from palm trees like this for about twenty years. Then we make patali and red jaggery with these juices. Lease the tree for four months and collect the sap.
However, finding real date molasses in the crowd of counterfeits seems to have become a liability. Most date molasses in the market is mixed with sugar. Pure molasses can be found only in Gachis. Jaggery buyer Iqbal said, I came to the market hoping to get pure jaggery. But I can’t smell and taste anything. The price is over two hundred rupees. In fact, due to adulteration, the availability of genuine products has become a little difficult.