Winter’s 100-mile trek: Palashbari’s date sap collectors and their timeless craft

Between two rivers – the Madhumati on one side and the Nabaganga on the other – lies Palashbari, a quiet village in Mohammadpur upazila of Magura. 

For most of the year, it attracts little attention. But as winter sets in, Palashbari becomes a place of seasonal fascination.

The reason is simple: fresh date palm sap and the pure jaggery made from it.

A narrow road cuts through the village, lined with nearly 500 date palm trees in neat rows. From dawn to dusk, people queue for fresh sap, which is used to make winter delicacies such as pitha, payesh, and kheer.

Artisans also boil it into liquid and solid jaggery, locally called "jhola" and "patali gur". Much of this production travels far beyond the village, sent to friends and relatives across Bangladesh and even abroad.

What makes Palashbari unusual is that the skilled jaggery makers – the gachhis – are not locals. Every winter, they travel almost 100 miles from Bagha upazila in Rajshahi, building temporary shelters to settle in the village for four months.

For nearly nine years, their seasonal lives have revolved entirely around Palashbari's date palms.

It all began 9 years ago

The story began nearly nine years ago with Daud Hossain Molla, a resident of Palashbari who was then working in Rajshahi.

Watching sap collectors, or gachhis, climb date palm trees, he was reminded of the untapped trees in his own village. On impulse, he invited a few to visit Palashbari.

Among them was Hafizur Rahman, an experienced gachhi from Bagha who had been harvesting sap since he was 10. Struck by the abundance of trees and the warmth of the villagers, Hafizur established a long-term connection with the village.

In Rajshahi, jaggery prices were low, pushing him to seek work elsewhere.

Magura, by contrast, offered higher demand and better returns, making Palashbari an ideal winter base.

This season, five gachhis are working in two teams, with Hafizur leading three of them.

Arriving at the start of Kartik, the seventh month of the Bangla calendar when winter starts making its advent, they spent weeks cleaning and preparing the trees. Renting a modest home on the village outskirts, they plan to return after Magh.

Their days begin before dawn. In bitter cold, they climb the trees to collect sap, which is then boiled into jaggery. Afternoons are spent preparing the trees for evening sap flow, while nights see villagers gathering for fresh sap, prompting another round of collection.

Hafizur's team manages around 320 trees, divided into two groups, each tapped 3 days a week with alternating rest, ensuring sustainable yields throughout the season.

Sap sells faster than it flows 

As the sun climbs past its zenith, the boiling pans of jaggery are in full swing, while a steady stream of customers arrives. 

Many, however, leave empty-handed, demand is so high that the jaggery often sells before it has even solidified.

"You have to place your order at least a week in advance," Hafizur says, stirring the amber liquid. His success has inspired others, including Mohammad Aftab, who moved to the other side of the village two years ago to manage his own set of trees.

Aftab explains that keeping up with local demand is a constant challenge, let alone fulfilling orders from across the country and abroad.

"Expatriates crave the authentic taste of home. One recent order was 60 killograms (kgs)  for overseas delivery. Orders like that come nearly every day, but we cannot meet them all."

Among the customers is Hanif Hossain, a businessman from Dhaka, who has ordered 13kgs of patali gur for friends. 

Jaggery or sap: A difficult choice 

Fresh sap sells fast – Tk70 per litre in the morning and evening. The rush is such that jaggery production is increasingly squeezed.

Selling sap is more profitable, Aftab explains.

Jaggery requires extra labour, fuel and time. As a result, many gachhis are leaning towards sap sales, and jaggery output is slowly declining.

Still, the gachhis say Palashbari remains a profitable place to work. Whether sap or jaggery, winter here delivers steady income. 

A sweet deal for all 

For each tree, the gachhis give the owner 2kgs of jaggery, though some owners prefer raw sap. Whatever remains belongs to the gachhis. 

Aftab says earnings from sap and jaggery during the four winter months provide a decent income. 

In summer, he invests in mango orchards, returning to Palashbari when winter comes again. This season, Aftab and his assistant manage 120 trees, producing 18 to 20kgs of jaggery daily from half of them – enough to meet most local demand. 

They feel their day-and-night labour is well rewarded. 

Tree owners are equally satisfied. Daud notes that for nearly nine years, the gachhis have worked in the village without dispute. "We don't take money. They give us sap and jaggery for pitha and payesh, which we share with relatives. We're happy – they earn, and we get jaggery," he says.

Many trees once lay unused, but with Hafizur and Aftab's arrival, sap flows again. 

Van driver Mohammad Shahjahan Molla recalls, "Outsiders revived these trees, and now Palashbari is famous across Magura." 

Call to grow more date palm trees

At Mohammadpur bazaar, stalls overflow with jaggery priced from Tk150 per kg. Local buyers complain that much of it is adulterated – its colour, texture and taste give it away. By contrast, pure Palashbari jaggery sells for Tk400 to Tk450 per kg.

Though expensive, conscious consumers are willing to pay for authenticity, but for many, the price remains prohibitive.

Van driver Shahjahan Molla recalls when good jaggery was cheaper. "There were more trees and workers. Now fuel shortages, lack of skilled gachhis, and neglect have led to tree felling. Jaggery has become scarce, and adulteration dominates the market."

Magura and the southern region were once famous for date palm jaggery, but declining tree numbers and a shortage of labour have pushed prices up. To preserve the tradition, villagers are planting new saplings. 

Young entrepreneurs like Hasib Sheikh, who sells jaggery online, are revitalising the market. 

"If the trees grow, sap will flow – and if there is sap, there will be jaggery," he says.