OUR CORRESPONDENT, Gazipur

Sugarcane growers at different villages in Kapasia upazila are passing a busy time as demand of sugar and molasses hugely increases during the month of Ramadan, especially ahead of the Eid.

Usually, molasses is a cash crop for many farmers of several villages in the upazila.

During a visit to several villages, including Amraid, Barishab and Narsingpur villages, on Sunday, this correspondent saw a number of farmers passing busy time harvesting sugarcane and producing molasses.

Locals said production of molasses is a year-old tradition and Kapasia is famous for producing it.

Many farmers were seen cutting sugarcane and bringing those where molasses is being produced.

Someone is collecting the juice while someone others are pouring those into the metal-made pan.

When production of molasses is done, another farmer is taking the item to the house for storing.

Farmer Jahangir Alam of Amraid village, who cultivated sugarcane on his one bigha land, said currently at least 10 farmers are engaged in making molasses every day.

Jahangir said farmers were passing busy time in cutting and threshing sugarcane and producing molasses from it.

The demand for molasses increases ahead of the Eid every year as they never mix any sugar in making molasses, he said.

Usually, molasses is being used for preparing different kinds of cakes.

Farmer Mosharraf Hossain said earlier he used to extract juice from sugarcane manually, but now he is doing the job with machines as it cost less and takes fewer time.

This correspondent talked to Kaniz Rahman and Kalam Mia, who came from Gazipur town to buy molasses for their restaurant.

Kaniz said her son sells sugarcane molasses at his shop in Gazipur town.

Another farmer Kalam Mia said they were selling each kilogramme of molasses at Tk 130.

Kapasia Upazila Deputy Assistant Plant Protection Officer Mokhleshur Rahman said about seven to eight hundred farmers at different villages in the upazila cultivated Amit, Tenari, Rangbilash, Ishwardi 21 and Ishwardi 26 varieties of sugarcane in their fields.

Kapasia Upazila Agriculture Officer Suman Kumar Bashak said about 1,160 hectares of land have been brought under sugarcane cultivation this season.