Kumrabori brings solvency to many Natore women

Usually, poor people of the northern district pass their days in hardship between the months of October and February.

They have to struggle for a livelihood because there is no work available during this time.

But the story of many residents of a remote village in Natore’s Naldanga upazila is a bit different.

A good number of people of Cheukhali village are passing a busy time preparing kumrabori, a dried paste of maskalai pulse, pumpkin and rice paste.

Members of at least 30 families, mostly women, at Cheukhali village are engaged in making kumrabori and sells their produces in different markets of the district.

The paste, mostly comprising the pulse, is made into small balls and then dried in the sun, especially in winter.

The curry and soup made from the item is favourite among the locals and people of some other districts as well.

“I used to sit idle after completing all my household works earlier. But now I prepare Kumrabori and earn some extra income that helps me to bear my children’s education expenses,” housewife Shefali Rani Sarker of Cheukhali village said.

“Making Kumrabori is not that easy. The pumpkin and maskalai pulse have to be well squeezed before mixing the two major ingredients. The ideal ratio is two kilogram of maskalai pulses, two and a half kilograms of pumpkin and some black cumin, locally known as kalijira,’’ Shefali added.

Alongside Shefali, many other women like Sima Sarker, Suchitra Pramanik, Sudha Rani, Suchitra Sarker, Mili Mondal and Sadhana Mondal of the village are now able to contribute some financial support to their families.

Another Kumrabori producer Krisna Khamaru of the village said each kilogram of the item sells for Tk 200 to Tk 250 to the wholesalers while it’s being sold for Tk 250 to Tk 300 per kilogram to the retailers and common buyers.

It cost them Tk 900 to make 10 kilograms of Kumrabori and they can sell the produce at Tk 1,500, he said.

“We have to count loss when the sun does not shine. So we do not make much quantities every day,” Suchirra Rani Sarker of the village said.

Natore Sadar Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr Mahbub Hossain said pumpkin, maskalai pulse, pumpkin and black cumin are nutritious and have huge health benefits.

Naldanga Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Sakib Al Rabbi said they will take necessary measured soon to support the Kumrabori makers.