Fake date molasses flooded Ishwardi market

Ishwardi (Pabna) Correspondent :

In Ishwardi, the sale of date molasses came untimely. Date molasses has been brought to the market before the production of date juice started fully. Not all palm juice in the market, 80-90% is artificial molasses mixed with sugar and other chemicals. That’s why there are many questions among the consumers about the quality.
It is known that molasses is made without date juice! These molasses are made from ingredients like alum, dalda, sugar, lime and hydrogen and are being sold in the market of Ishwardi as pure. It is selling at 250-270 taka per kg. Locals complain that unscrupulous businessmen are doing this for the sake of more profit. Safe food authorities claim that consumption of these molasses can lead to kidney damage and cancer.
In the meantime, the mood of winter is felt in the northern town. Date juice is a staple of Bangladeshi culture at this time. Farmers have started preparing palm trees. After collecting the juice, the gachirs are busy making jaggery. However, the production of date molasses starts in full swing from the last week of Agrahayana month. Now most of the jaggery in the market comes from various places in Natore, Rajshahi and Naogaon districts.
Gachi Touhid of Kalsnagar area said that many gachi come to collect date palm juice in winter season. Three of them have taken palm trees under contract. During the season, about 6-7 maunds of juice are extracted from about 200 trees every day. If you strain the juice, you get about one and a half maunds of molasses. But now the season has started. The juice is still not fully released. Little is happening. Jaggery will not be formed in this amount of juice. You have to wait another 10-15 days to get jaggery made entirely of juice.
Gachi Arj Mallik said, now the amount of juice is very less. Some buy juice from us and make molasses by adulterating it. 55 kg of date molasses is made by mixing 50 kg of sugar with a little juice and various chemicals. Adulterated molasses mixed with sugar has now become a sellab in Hatbazar. 1 kg Patali jaggery is now selling above Tk 250 to Tk 270 in the market. Some say, there is no adulteration. All made with palm juice. So the price is 270 taka per kg. Amirul Islam, who came to buy date jaggery in the market, said that he came to buy date jaggery for steamed cakes. But can’t smell or taste.
Momin, a retail jaggery seller, has a simple confession – jaggery contains 10 to 20 percent date palm juice. This molasses is being made in Baneswar, Lalpur and Banpara of Natore by using sugar and other chemicals along with dyes. From there they have to buy their patali from various moneylenders at wholesale rates.
Shankar Kundu, a wholesale dealer of jaggery, said that real jaggery is not available except during the full season.