Date palm juice trade brings winter prosperity to Rajshahi

The date palm juice business has emerged as a profitable seasonal industry in Rajshahi, providing employment to thousands of people and significantly boosting the rural economy during the winter months.

Every year from late October, the extraction of date palm sap and production of jaggery begin in the upazilas of Bagha, Charghat and Puthia. Local gachhis (sap extractors) tap date palm trees at night, collecting sap in earthen pots hung beneath carefully made cuts on the trunks.

The sap is either sold fresh or boiled to produce patali gur (solid jaggery) and jhola gur (liquid jaggery). A single tree yields around 20–25 litres of sap during the season, producing approximately 10 kilograms of jaggery.

In the early morning, sap collectors climb the trees to retrieve the filled pots. As the sap is boiled on large stoves, the sweet aroma spreads through villages, signalling the peak of the winter harvest.

Muhammad Obaidul, a sap collector from Chakgochar village in Charghat upazila, said nearly 80 percent of villagers there are involved in the trade. He said pure jaggery fetches higher prices and remains in strong demand, particularly through online platforms, despite some producers mixing sugar with sap to increase output due to lower sugar prices.

Last Wednesday at dawn, Muhammad Rana of Bhubannagar village in Puthia was seen collecting sap from leased trees, transporting it in two large jars tied to his bicycle. "From the 52 trees I lease, I collect about 60 litres of sap daily, which yields 10 to 11 kilograms of jaggery," he said.

In the same village, Roushan Ara, wife of Jalal Uddin, was boiling sap at their home. She said jaggery prices are highest at the beginning of the season, currently selling at around Tk160 per kilogram.

Saiful Islam Milu, a sap collector from Jormadanga village in Puthia, said most tree owners lease out their date palms as they lack the skills to extract sap. Lease prices range from Tk500 to Tk1,000 per tree for the season, with a collector typically leasing between 30 and 100 trees.

The trade has become a major source of seasonal income for many families, improving living standards during the winter months. Rajshahi's Barind tract, along with date palm trees growing along roadsides and in fields, supports large-scale production.

Residents said Charghat, Bagha and Puthia upazilas are particularly known for date molasses. Weekly markets such as Baneswar Haat, Jhalmalia Haat, Puthia Haat, Charghat and Bagha serve as major trading hubs.

Anisur Rahman, 57, an extractor from Halidagachhi village in Charghat upazila, said he owns 175 date palm trees on six and a half bighas of land and earns an average of Tk2 lakh annually from the trade.

He added that date palm trees provide sap, cooking fuel, molasses and other by-products, while locally produced jaggery is exported to several countries, contributing to the rural economy.

Nasir Uddin, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), said Rajshahi district has 1,108,018 date palm trees. "On average, each tree yields about 25 litres of sap, producing roughly 10 kilograms of jaggery," he said.

Since ancient times, date palm juice and molasses have remained popular winter delicacies, encouraging many farmers to cultivate date palm trees commercially alongside other cash crops.