Handmade 'red sugar': A Mymensingh special 

Mohammad Ayub Ali, a farmer in Fulbaria upazila of Mymensingh, grew sugarcane on 10 kathas of land at a cost of about Tk45,000. 

From that he made 35 maunds (36kg is a maund, approx) of the traditional 'Laal Chini' (red sugar) which sold for Tk80 per kg. As such, Ayub earned Tk1.12 lakh this year.

Mohammad Mustafizur Rahman, a farmer from the same area, planted sugarcane on 16 kathas of land and made four maunds of sugar per katha of sugarcane. He also sold his produce for Tk80 per kg.

"The production cost of handmade red sugar is low and most farmers here work with their family members, so there is no need to hire workers from outside," he added. 

According to both the farmers, red sugar is made naturally without using any chemicals. 
 
The price of red sugar is good this year and farmers of Fulbaria upazila sold their produce worth about Tk534,560,000, said Jasmine Nahar, Upazila Agriculture Officer. 
 
According to the local agriculture office, 5.2 tonnes of sugar was produced this year per hectare. In 2016, farmers cultivated sugarcane on 1,250 hectares and produced 6,839 tonnes of red sugar. In 2017, it was 6,390 tonnes of sugar from 1,255 hectares. 
 
In 2018, they cultivated sugarcane on 1,280 hectares and produced 7,082 tonnes of sugar. In 2019, they produced 6,746 tonnes of red sugar from sugarcane on 1,280 hectares. In 2020, they produced 6,746 tonnes of sugar from 1285 hectares. In 2021, farmers made 6,682 tonnes of red sugar from sugarcane planted in the same area of land. 
 
The Upazila Agriculture Officer said that with new varieties of sugarcane, there is a higher yield per hectare that boosts the production of red sugar. Farmers in Bakta, Kaldaha, Enayetpur, Kushmail, and Radhakanai unions of Fulbaria upazila produce this red sugar.
 
As the process of making red sugar is traditional, only those who have traditionally been involved in this profession and their descendants make this sugar. 

Mymensingh Chamber of Commerce and Industries Vice President Shankar Saha said this is a lucrative sector and traders are keen to invest here. For that, the cooperation and coordination of farmers and the Department of Agricultural Extension (DSE) is needed.
 
There is some uniqueness to 'red sugar' and so the demand for handmade red sugar is high, he added. 
 
Farmers are also seeking assistance from the DAE to ensure timely delivery of this healthy sugar to their customers and effective market management to ensure a fair price. With this, the production and popularity of this traditional sweetener will increase day by day.
 
Md Motiuzaman, deputy director of Mymensingh Khamarbari of the DAE, said, "This 'red sugar' is produced only in Fulbaria upazila of the district and we are trying to make it financially viable for farmers who grow sugarcane and produce the sweetener."
 
"In particular, we are trying to address problems faced by farmers in controlling sugarcane diseases and in marketing their sugar," he added.

How to make red sugar

Some 50-60 farmers choose an empty piece of fallow land to jointly press and process the sugarcane they produce. They use a hand-crusher or 'Ghani' pulled by buffaloes or cows to squeeze out the sugarcane juice which is then taken to the 'Jalaghor' where the juice is boiled. 

After boiling the juice for 20 to 25 minutes, when the juice thickens, the iron pan is taken down from the burner. Then the farmers briskly stir the juice with a wooden spoon, and it eventually turns into dusty red sugar.