Date Juice Should Be Revived Considering Its Rural Tradition and Commercial Potentialities

 

It is really difficult to find a Bengali who does not like date juice and jaggery. Once upon a time, it is used to enjoy eating all kinds of pitha-puli made by mother's hands in winter. When the winter season came, there was a festive atmosphere in the township around the 'date tree (Kajur Gach)' known as the honey tree, a symbol of rural Bengal's tradition. During the winter season, the villagers tried to entertain the guests with jaggery patali, pitha, pies etc. made from date juice. But the aroma of that date juice, molasses, and molasses is not seen much in the village haat market anymore. Everyone has forgotten the taste of sweet date juice, a tradition of winter. The original date juice jaggery and its fragrance are no longer available in the market as before. Most of what is available as date molasses is marketed from sugar by a class of profiteers, that's why many say another name for fraud is date juice molasses! However, considering its importance in rural tradition and economy, the date juice should be kept alive and the government should come forward by emphasizing its commercial potential.

The districts of Jessore, Kushtia, Jhenaidah, Faridpur, Madaripur and Khulna in the south western region have always been famous for date trees, jaggery and its juice. At one time, date molasses was highly valued as a cash crop. Jessore's traditional Gur Patali has a long history. Date juice and molasses of Jessore are incomparable in taste and smell. Even seven or eight years ago, during the winter, the farmers of these areas used to spend a very busy time collecting the juice of the date trees. They used to earn huge amount of money by selling date juice and patali jaggery. It used to be exported abroad but with the evolution of time it has gradually disappeared in the past years. Although it is customary to make pies and pies with date juice in the winter season, the juice of the winter date tree has now become scarce, that's why Gachira (who collect juice) used to be busy collecting date juice even in the midst of severe winter. Over the past few years, the number of date trees has gradually decreased in the remote rural areas of the country due to the construction of houses and indiscriminate cutting of trees. Although there are still adequate number of date trees in some areas of the remote villages in the south-western part of the country, many date trees are dying every year due to improper maintenance, replanting and systematic mistakes in felling. Besides, the number of date trees is gradually decreasing due to the use of date trees as fuel by a class of unscrupulous bricklayer traders.

Like every year, this year also at the beginning of winter, professional date juice growers are facing extreme crisis. Even then, some areas have started collecting sap from date trees as a hobby. Already those trees are collecting sap twice in the morning and afternoon. The grass wet with morning dew and the canopy of thick fog, the activity of the trees heralds the arrival of winter at the end of Hemant. Once upon a time, seasonal date juice was the start of winter in rural towns.

Gachiras cut trees in a special way to collect date juice in winter. At the beginning of Hemant, the date trees are cut to extract the juice. After the first felling of the tree, a second cutting is done and a specially made Kanchi tube or Chonga (bamboo stick) is placed there. Next to it there are small shalaka (stick) poles made of bamboo for hanging pots. The juice falls through the tube through the eyes. There is also some trick to cutting date trees and extracting the juice from them. No one can cut trees well or extract sap. When, how, where and how to cut and which will not kill the tree, but get more sap, only a skilled arborist knows well. Once the sap is collected for 2-3 days after cutting the tree and earthen pots were used to collect date juice but nowadays plastic bottles or jars are used to collect juice.

In fact, as winter progresses, the sweetness of date juice also increases. Date juice has a wonderful association with winter. At that time, the sweet honey juice was extracted from the honey tree, a symbol of pride and tradition, and the making of pitha, pies and gur patali started in full swing from house to house in the village. In villages, the sweet smell of Nole gur (jaggery), Jhola gur, Dana gur and Batali gur, made from date juice, was half a meal. Date juice pies, pita soaked in juice, and various delicious dishes were not paired.

But with the evolution of time, date juice has completely disappeared from nature. The south-west region was once famous for its date trees and jaggery, a tradition of ancient Bengal. Many used to call date trees as honey trees as a hobby. At that time, in the winter season, the rural town was filled with the sweet smell of date juice and molasses. Housewives used to make delicious pies, pitas soaked in various types of juice with date juice. There was no match for the molasses patali of dates and molasses. Common people in rural towns wake up shivering in winter mornings without drinking cold date juice, as if the whole day would turn to dust. But due to the encroachment of brickbat, the number of date palm trees is decreasing gradually. Moreover, due to higher daily earnings in brick kilns or other occupations, the number of palm trees has drastically reduced. Many have left their grandfather's farming profession forever!

Despite the legal ban on burning date trees in brick kilns, brick kiln owners continue to destroy date trees by managing everything. Due to the use of date trees as fuel for brick kilns over the last few years, date trees are rapidly depleting from various areas. As a result, the people of villages and cities have lost a lot of the delicious food of date juice.

According to hobbyists who collect sap from naturally growing date trees, there are no more date trees as they used to be. As a result, the value of date trees in the rural towns, which were really neglected during the winter, would increase. At present, date juice is being sold for Tk. 1 to 150 per stone in these regions, that too is very less than the demand. Gachira said that due to the absence of any effective action by the forest department to protect the date trees, the date trees and the sap of the date trees in the winter season are going to turn into a fairy tale for future generations.

In order to increase the production of this traditional date juice, the existence of date trees must be sustained. And for that, date trees should be protected from the hands of any tree killers, including bricklayers, through proper enforcement of environmental laws. However, recently in some areas, the agriculture department has also advised the farmers to plant date trees. If the farmers plant sufficient number of date trees around the house, in the abandoned places on the side of the road, it will be possible to meet the demand of the future generation for date juice and molasses.

According to the sources of Directorate of Agricultural Extension, Jessore, the total number of date trees in this district is 16,41,155 and out of that the number of date trees producing juice is 3,49,955. A sum of 5,24,93,250 liters of juice are produced annually from these date trees and 52,49,325 kg of molasses are produced annually, the market value of which is over Tk. 100 crore. At present, the number of gachis in 8 upazilas of Jessore district is about 13,200 people. On the other hand, according to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 1.70 lakh metric tons of date juice is produced in the country in 2018-19. On an average, 10 kg of date juice produces about 1 kg of patali or jaggery, and as a result, 17,000 metric tons of patali and jaggery are produced in the country, with an average market value of Tk 350 crore. It is known that there is a huge demand for date juice and molasses in the country and abroad. If its production can be increased in a planned manner, it can play a major role in creating employment in rural areas. Moreover, considering its importance in rural economy, its commercial expansion needs to be done under government initiatives. If young entrepreneurs can be involved in this business through proper planning and training, besides playing a role in the national economy of the country, it is possible to earn foreign currency by exporting abroad.

Once upon a time, date molasses was exported to many countries of the world including Europe to meet the needs of the country. For this reason, there is a need to plant more date trees through public and private initiatives and to bring back the tradition of date juice through training of growers. Due to the indifference of the local administration and lack of strict supervision, a large part of the date trees are being wasted due to the free burning of fruit trees including date trees in brick kilns. If this continues, the tradition of date juice may be lost. The pita payesh of date juice will then live only as a fond memory. Therefore, in order for date trees to make an important contribution to our rural economy, the number of these trees should be increased in a planned and scientific manner and they should be kept alive considering their economic importance, heritage and commercial potential as well.

 
Md. Zillur Rahaman is a
 banker and a columnist.