Chhali trade: Getting gold out of ash

What they do is like finding a needle in a haystack. They extract gold from ash, a complex and time-consuming process. 

Around 4,000 families at Singair in Manikganj have been engaged in this trade for several generations. They call it "Chhali" business. 

For locals in Gobindol and Charigram unions, it is financially viable. 

It also holds the potential to contribute to the country's economy, according to Charigram union parishad Chairman Sajedul Alam Shadhin. 

The first step of this trade is to collect ash used by goldsmiths to make ornaments. Traders collect this ash from local jewellery stores and others around the country. 

But Khulna, Jashore, Bogura, Narail, Rajshahi, Sirajganj, and Jamalpur are particularly popular destinations among Chhali traders for ash collection. 

Usually, ash can be collected from a particular jewellery shop once or twice a year. 

Photo-Khandaker Sujan Hossain

According to Moazzem Hossain, a Chhali trader from Charigram, the price of ash per sack (two maunds of ash in each sack) is generally Tk2,000-10,000, depending on the estimate of how much gold can be found in it. 

How much ash a trader can collect depends on his or her capital. Usually, the more ash is collected, the higher is the chance of getting gold. 

But it does not always work in such a linear way. Trader Nuru Mia said sometimes they do not get gold even after purchasing overpriced ash.

Another trader Forhad Hossain said, with good quality ash, it is possible to get one bhori gold (11.66 grammes) by spending about Tk20,000-25,000. 

But he added that there is no way to know for sure.

Due to the unpredictable nature of the trade, many traders argue that luck is also a big part of the bargain. 

After ash is collected, a lengthy, labour-intensive process begins. First, the ash is sifted through a fine sieve. 

Then it is crushed using a dheki (husking pedal) and mixed with clean water. After that, small chunks of ash are formed.

The ash chunks are properly dried under the sun and are heated by fire. The heat removes dirt and what remains is liquefied gold, silver, copper, lead, and bronze. 

Then the lead is extracted from the liquid. Later, gold and silver are separated using nitric acid and other chemicals. 

After gold is extracted from the ash, it is sold in the local market. Local businessmen then sell the gold in bigger cities. 

To aid this gold trade, there are at least 80 jewellery shops in Charigram. 

Faruk Hossain, proprietor of Faria Jewellery in Charigram, said, "I first buy gold from local Chhali businessmen and then resell it."

He said the amount of capital one has in this business is very important. He has a capital of Tk10-15 lakh and earns at least Tk60,000-70,000 every month from this trade.

Manik Hasan, president of Charigram Jewellery Cooperative Society, said his organisation has around 70 people engaged in this gold business. 

The sector is extremely capital-driven, he said. 

He also said the pandemic and the lockdowns had heavily disrupted the supply chain of this trade. 

"Most Chhali businessmen cannot collect ash as there is not adequate ash in jewellery shops that have mostly stayed closed since last year," he added.