Over 200 families earn livelihood making molasses in Kalapara

Molasses being made from goal tree in Kalapara.

Patuakhali: On the Kalapara coast of Patuakhali, delicious molasses is made from the juice of the gourd. At least two hundred families of the coast are maintaining their livlihood by selling this molasses. Therefore, the Coastal Forest Department is planting thousands of gol saplings in fallow land every year to encourage the production of gol molasses.

Numerous gourd gardens have developed naturally in the canal, low river side along with the tidal fallows of the coastal areas. More than two hundred families of Kalapara coast have been making molasses from the juice of this gol tree for almost a hundred years. Farmers collect juice from the goal trees in the months of Poush, Magh and Phalgun. Every afternoon, the tops of the trees are cut and kept to get soil bones. The next morning the juice is collected from the bones and burnt to make molasses. High quality molasses is made by keeping hot molasses in a container without any chemicals. Per kg molasses is being sold in the market at Tk 200 to Tk 220.

Bidhan Chandra Mistry, a gol farmer of Nilganj, said that the demand for molasses for gol is increasing day by day. Earlier we had to sell molasses in the market. Now they take molasses from home by communicating with mobile from different areas.

Farmer Nirmal Chandra Mridha said, buying from us at the rate of Tk 200, a group is selling online at the rate of Tk 400 to Tk 450. But if the buyers buy directly from us, they will get it for 2 hundred taka. However, even though the demand for molasses is increasing, the gardens are decreasing day by day. Trees are dying due to various reasons including climate change.

Farmers claim that gol molasses is very beneficial for health. Eating this molasses does not increase diabetics; the human body has suppression of molasses. By digging canals along the coast to increase the flow of tidal water, new gardens of gol would be created. As a result, the production of molasses will increase. Farmers think that it will be possible to export molasses abroad to meet the needs of the country.

Kalapara Upazila Agriculture Officer ARM Saifullah said that there are 65 hectares of gol gardens in this upazila. More than two hundred families are making a living by extracting juice from Golgach. Molasses worth several crores of taka is being sold every year. At present, due to the effect of climate change, the gol tree garden is disappearing. The Department of Agriculture is working in coordination with the Forest Department and the Water Development Board for the growth of gol plantations. 

Patuakhali Coastal Divisional Forest Officer Md. Safiqul Islam said, Golgach is a profitable forest crop. We have planted 30,000 saplings in the fallow land of various coastal areas in the financial year 2018-2019. Another 20,000 saplings will be planted this year, said the official of the forest department. - Gofran Biswas Palash