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While date molasses is being sold at Tk 160 per kilogramme (kg) in local markets, the same product made by seasonal producers is going for up to Tk 200 per kg from the factory floor, according to traders.
The higher price for date molasses made at seasonal factories comes down to the fact that buyers believe this product is superior to “adulterated” varieties in the market.
As such, the seasonal factories that set up in winter enjoy bustling business to the point that selling solely to retailers earns ample gains.
It takes about 9 kgs of date juice to make a single kilogramme of molasses. To ensure their requirements are met, each seasonal factory has between 100 and 300 date trees.
Each tree yields about 3 to 7 kgs of date juice every day from November to February. With the juice, each factory produces an average of 40 to 200 kgs of date molasses daily.
Supen Chandra Saha, a date molasses dealer in the Kamalkachna area of Rangpur city, said date molasses is being produced at about 100 points across 5 districts, namely Rangpur, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Gaibandha and Nilphamari.
The seasonal factories sell the molasses to retailers for a minimum of Tk 145 per kg, ensuring a profit of Tk 5-7.
“But the perception of regular factories adulterating their date molasses is wrong,” he added.
According to the sources at the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), there are about 30,000 date trees in the greater Rangpur region with each farmer owning between 15 and 40 of them.
Shawkat Hossain, a seasonal producer of date molasses in Bhatibari village under Lalmonirhat sadar upazila, said he has leased 103 date trees from 7 local farmers.
He will now collect juice from these trees until the end of winter. Having paid Tk 300 and 2 kgs of molasses for each tree, Hossain’s factory produces 40 to 45 kgs of the product each day.
“We prepare molasses from date juice in the presence of local people. The date molasses we produce is 100 per cent pure,” he added.
Dulal Hossain, another seasonal date molasses producer in the same area, said the juice has to be burned for about 4 hours to prepare molasses. Sometimes soda is used to clean the molasses, but Dulal opts against it as local buyers prefer a red colour in their molasses.
“We are fulfilling the needs of customers by producing 100 per cent pure date molasses. This year, the demand for the product is huge,” he added.
Nur Alam, a seasonal date molasses producer at Naodanga village under Kurigram’s Phulbari upazila, said he has 250 date trees under his molasses factory, which produces an average of 110 kgs of molasses daily.
Alam then said local buyers buy the product from him for as much as Tk 200 per kg.
“Many buyers pay in advance to get date molasses from us,” he said, adding that the business has received a huge response this year, eliminating the need to sell to wholesalers.
Narayan Chandra Barman, a date farmer in the same village, said he has 14 trees that were leased out to seasonal molasses makers.
“This pure date molasses is made in makeshift factories right before our eyes. So, we ourselves are using it,” Barman added.
Dinesh Chandra, a college teacher in the Adarshpara area of Lalmonirhat town, said he has already bought 7 kgs of “pure” date molasses.
Chandra intends to buy another 10 kgs of the product from seasonal factories.
The demand for date molasses is particularly high during winter for making various sweets and traditional cakes.
“The regular date molasses we buy from the market is adulterated. So, I prefer to buy pure date molasses from seasonal factories even if the price is higher,” he added.
Salamat Mia, a businessman from the same area, said he bought 20 kgs of date molasses from seasonal factories and sent it to his sister’s house in Dhaka.
In addition, he bought another 5 kgs for personal use.
“We are buying molasses directly from the factories. We think this molasses is pure, the proof of which I got by comparing it with molasses bought from the market,” Salamat added.
Abdur Rahim, the agriculture marketing officer in Lalmonirhat, said the greater Rangpur region has developed a business for pure date molasses worth around Tk 30 crore during winter.
A few years ago, only juice sellers would take date trees from farmers on lease, Rahim added.
(TDS)
