Golpata collectors trapped as costs rise
For generations, golpata collection has sustained thousands of families living along the Sundarbans. But rising operating costs, shrinking harvesting periods, poor market prices and recurring climate disasters have turned the traditional livelihood into a painful struggle for survival.
Nearly 50,000 forest-dependent families in Bangladesh’s Sundarbans Impact Zone rely directly or indirectly on golpata, or Nypa fruticans, as a major source of seasonal income.
Known locally as bawalis, the collectors harvest golpata leaves and sap mainly during the dry season, from January to March. During the rest of the year, they depend on agriculture, fishing, day labour or shrimp-fry collection to support their families.
Golpata leaves, often called the “poor man’s tin”, are widely used for roofing, fencing, wrapping and other household purposes. Its sap is also processed into traditional gur, or jaggery.
Research by the Bangladesh Sugarcrop Research Institute has identified golpata sap as a promising value-added product that could potentially improve the incomes of forest-dependent communities.
However, golpata collection generally contributes only around one-quarter of a household’s annual income. Most bawali families live below the poverty line and depend on high-interest loans from local moneylenders, known as mohajons, to finance their seasonal expeditions.
Their journeys into the Sundarbans are also filled with danger. Collectors spend weeks inside a maze of rivers, canals and mangrove creeks, facing isolation, unpredictable weather, wildlife attacks and the constant threat of Royal Bengal tigers.
Speaking to The New Nation by phone on Sunday, July 19, at around 3:50pm, Sundarbans West Forest Division Divisional Forest Officer A.Z.M. Hasanur Rahman said he had received an official circular stating that every forest-dependent family, including bawalis and mowals, or honey collectors, would receive 40 kilograms of rice.
He said officials from the Department of Fisheries would oversee the distribution.
However, environmental expert Dr Abdullah Harun Choudhury said that, to the best of his knowledge, there was no government incentive programme specifically designed for bawalis.
The professor of Environmental Science Discipline said support could be extended to the community in two important ways.
“First, bawalis should receive specialised training on environmentally sustainable methods of harvesting golpata. Second, they should be included in existing government social safety-net programmes through institutions such as the Department of Social Services, Zila Parishads and Union Parishads,” he said.
He also suggested that non-governmental organisations could support bawalis by providing loans on easy terms.
Asked about the reported decision to provide 40 kilograms of rice to each bawali family, he said he was unaware of the circular.
“If the current government has introduced such a measure, it is certainly a very positive initiative,” he added.
As the harvesting season approaches, riverbank communities begin extensive preparations.
Bawalis repair their large transport vessels, locally known as petkata boats, during a maintenance period called sharoner shomoy.
The specially designed boats can carry up to 500 maunds, or about 186 quintals, of golpata and are allowed to remain inside the forest for up to 28 days under Forest Department supervision.
Abdul Gani, a bawali from Koyra upazila in Khulna, said repairing his 14-year-old boat now costs more than Tk 100,000 every season. Constructing a new boat would require nearly Tk 700,000.
“These boats are built only for transporting golpata and remain idle on the riverbanks for the rest of the year,” he said.
Along the banks of the Koyra, Kapotaksha and Shakbaria rivers, carpenters remain busy replacing damaged planks, fixing wooden structures and applying tar coatings ahead of the month-long harvesting expedition.
Carpenter Md Moij Uddin said demand for repair work peaks before the golpata season, although he remains occupied throughout the year repairing fishing boats.
Bawali Kamrul Islam said production and maintenance costs have risen sharply.
“Each boat requires 10 to 11 drums of tar, costing around Tk 40,000. Including labour, timber, iron fittings and forest revenue fees, total expenses now exceed Tk 300,000 per boat,” he said.
“Despite poor market prices, we have no alternative but to continue.”
Leaders of the Sundarbans Bawali Federation have expressed serious concern over the Forest Department’s decision to reduce the harvesting period.
Previously, collectors were allowed to enter the forest in two phases, covering a total of 56 days. This year, permits have reportedly been restricted to a single 28-day period.
Mir Kamruzzaman, president of the Sundarbans Bawali Federation, said the shorter timeframe would make it difficult for collectors to recover their investment and earn a reasonable income.
West Sundarbans Division DFO A.Z.M. Hasanur Rahman said the decision was taken to reduce ecological pressure on the Sundarbans.
He said each boat would be allowed to transport a maximum of 186 quintals of golpata. Anyone exceeding the limit would face double penalties.
Development organisations working with forest-dependent communities said many existing alternative livelihood programmes have failed to provide sustainable income.
As a result, bawalis often return to the forest even after receiving training in tailoring, poultry farming, livestock rearing or small-scale businesses.
Dr Shital Kumar Nath, project director of the Community Development Centre, or CODEC, said many initiatives fail because beneficiaries lack sufficient start-up capital and access to markets.
“Without strong market linkages, these alternative livelihood programmes cannot succeed,” he said.
Mustafa Nuruzzaman, executive director of Shushilan, said bawalis are among the communities most vulnerable to climate change.
“Devastating cyclones such as Aila and Amphan have destroyed homes and livelihoods, while river erosion and rising salinity continue to worsen their situation,” he said.
He said seasonal restrictions on forest entry during the June-to-August closure, combined with repeated climate disasters, frequently trap families in cycles of poverty and debt.
“They urgently need long-term, interest-free loans and inclusion in targeted social safety-net programmes,” he said.
Md Maksudur Rahman, chief executive of the Bangladesh Environment and Development Society, said protecting the Sundarbans should not come at the expense of communities that have depended on the forest for generations.
“Rather than excluding bawalis, they should be recognised as custodians of the forest,” he said.
He proposed establishing “Sundarbans Eco-Villages” equipped with climate-resilient housing, solar energy and mangrove-based green enterprises.
“If forest-dependent communities are provided with environmentally sustainable livelihoods and made stakeholders in conservation, they will become partners in protecting the Sundarbans while improving their own economic security,” he added.
For the bawalis, golpata remains both a source of survival and a symbol of hardship. Their livelihoods depend on the forest, but without affordable financing, fair market access and long-term government support, their lives may remain a bed of thorns rather than roses.
