NATORE, Jan 12, 2025 (BSS) - Producers are having a time that is full of activity in making date molasses, as the sweetener has huge demand with its high price across the country.

According to the Department of Agricultural and Extension (DAE), growers are expecting to produce 9,790 tonnes of date molasses in the district during the winter season. They are expecting to produce a huge amount of molasses, from which they will be able to pocket over Taka 108 crore.

There are a total of 4, 18, 880 date trees in the district, and of these, 3, 21, 135 trees are suitable for collecting date juice.

On average, a date tree can produce 207 liters of juice during the winter season, and from the juice of each tree, it is possible to produce 22 kilograms of molasses.

About 8,000 people are involved in the activities of extracting date juice and making jaggery, the DAE sources said.

Although there are a huge number of date trees in all the upazilas of the district, Lalpur upazila has the highest number of date trees, comprising 113,635 date trees on both sides of roads and railway lines apart from courtyards.

The target for collecting molasses from these trees has been set at 2.5 tons, and about 3,000 families in the upazila are engaged in date-juice collection.

No additional cost is required to grow these trees, as date trees can grow without any special care, except regular trimming of their bush during the winter season. Date trees are planted on vast areas of the district, which is 401 hectares of land.

Every day, a Gacchi (date sap collector) collects juice from about 50 to 55 trees. A grower gets about 30 to 35 kg of jaggery from a date tree during 70 to 75 days of the winter season.

In addition, leaves of the trees are used in making mats and house fence.
Belal Hossain of Barasail village in Singra upazila said that every year he collects juice from at least 70 to 80 trees and makes jaggery at home and sells those in the local market. He sometimes sells jaggery from home.

Another jaggery producer, Akram Hossain, said that every year he collects juice from about 100 trees. Currently, he is collecting juice from 120 trees.

"My family is doing well by making and selling date jaggery this season," he added.

Hazrat Ali and Mintu Ali of the Lalpur area said, "Date molasses of the area is famous. The jaggery is supplied all over the country, including the capital, Dhaka, after meeting the local demand."

Sometimes Patali jaggery is also sent abroad. The producers said the price of jaggery should be high because the production cost and labor costs are high.

Therefore, a proper platform is needed to create so that molasses can be sold at a fair price.

If the market is managed properly, it is possible to export jaggery to other countries across the world.

Lalpur Upazila Agriculture Officer Pritam Kumar said the agriculture department had advised farmers to plant more date trees.

Many unscrupulous traders are tarnishing the reputation by producing adulterated jaggery, but the farmers are not involved in the process, he said.

Administrative action should be taken against those who are producing adulterated jaggery.

"We are conducting a mobile court campaign in coordination with the administration to check the production of substandard molasses."

Deputy Director of DAE Md. Abdul Wadud said, "Both date juice and jaggery are very popular among people. Every year, 10,000 people in the district are getting benefits economically by producing jaggery from date juice."

The agriculture department is regularly providing advice on how to produce safe jaggery and market those properly, he added.