The month of Agrahayan signals the arrival of winter along with the seasonal harvest of date palm sap and jaggery, and in Kushtia the production of traditional date palm jaggery has gained full momentum. The district has set a target of producing 200 tonnes of date jaggery in just one season.
As sunlight pierces through the winter fog each morning, sap collectors, locally known as gachhis, become busy across Kushtia. Along the bypass road on the outskirts of the town, the collection of sap and the boiling process to produce jaggery has taken on a festive atmosphere.
With the onset of winter, more than a hundred gachhis have leased date palm trees and begun collecting sap, which is then processed into traditional date jaggery. Owing to its high quality, jaggery produced in Kushtia enjoys strong demand across the country. From just one orchard along the bypass, collectors and workers expect to earn around Tk 500,000 from sap sales and Tk 2 million from jaggery sales during the season.
Gachhis said the orchard contains nearly 300 date palm trees, making it impossible for one person to tap them all. As a result, five workers have been engaged to tap the trees. Despite higher tree leasing costs this year compared to previous seasons, they remain optimistic about making a profit.
In Mirpur upazila’s Satbaria area, young entrepreneur Sohag is processing jaggery using hygienic methods. Demand for his adulteration-free jaggery is spreading both domestically and internationally.
Entrepreneur Abdur Rahman Sohag said sap is collected safely in clay pots using protective measures, allowing them to produce date palm sap and pure jaggery through entirely natural processes.
Visitors and buyers said they are often exposed to adulterated products in the market and come to this area specifically to purchase pure sap and jaggery. They said they consistently find high-quality products here.
The Department of Agricultural Extension has set a target of generating more than Tk 50 million in revenue from date jaggery production in the district during the current season.
Kushtia Mirpur Upazila Agriculture Officer Abdullah Al Mamun said that expanding date palm sap production is part of an out-of-the-box initiative that includes planting new date palm saplings and increasing the overall number of trees. He said efforts are underway to encourage planting date palm trees along roadsides, which he believes will improve livelihoods and create employment opportunities, bringing meaningful economic change to people in the region.
The seasonal vibrancy that winter brings to Kushtia’s rural economy is driven in large part by the date palm sap and jaggery industry, which continues to play a vital role in sustaining livelihoods and preserving traditional practices.
