Sweet syrupy surprise

When you visit Bijoynagar, you will be welcomed not with words but a bite into warm chitoi pitha, dipped in the rich and velvety Lali gur -- a delicacy that has graced these lands for decades.

With harvest time knocking on the door, farmers of Brahmanbaria head out to their sugarcane fields at the break of dawn. They cut the canes and bring those to the local mills.

There, buffaloes take over the grinders as their human friends help place the canes inside the heart of the machine.

Once extracted, the juice is filtered and then boiled on an earthen stove for a couple of hours until it becomes dense and is then left to cool off. This is how Lali gur, this region's supreme delicacy, has been made for decades.

About a hundred farmer families in Dulalpur, Kalachhara and Baktarmora villages in Bishnupur union are invested in this ancestral trade.

With no colour or taste enhancers being added, the popular item is still made using the century-old process. Attracting buyers from all around the country, the molasses retain that original and authentic taste and quality of yesteryears.

It is sold for a wholesale price of Tk 130-140 per kilo, with the price being Tk 150 at retailers, said Ramjan Mia, a molasses maker of Bishnupur.

"Earlier, we had to visit markets to sell this item. But wholesale traders now come straight to our homes and collect the product," he added.

According to Department of Agricultural Extension, sugarcane has been planted on 25 hectacres of land in the upazila this season, with an expected yield of 2,700 tonnes.

Once grown in bulk in Brahmanbaria, farmers have resorted to more profitable crops over time. However, the unique taste of the canes is key to achieving the perfect taste and texture of Lali gur.

Susanto Saha, deputy director of DAE in Brahmanbaria, said they are trying their best to ensure adequate production of sugarcane in the region and that the raw materials are not being adulterated.