Earthen pots are being sold on a large scale as the date juice extractors are using them for keeping juice in Bogura district.
Meanwhile, hundreds of potters are earning well during the ongoing winter season selling earthen pots, used for collection and storing of date juice and molasses from early winter.
Around 600 owners of date trees in twelve upazilas of the region are now engaged in collecting date juice, said officials at the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE). The amount of "gachhis" may exceed next year, DAE added.
The extractors generally start collecting date juice in late November and it continues till mid-March. They need a good number of earthen pots during the season as the birds and impolite people of the area break them in absence of extractors.
Potters sell the item in different sizes according to desire of extractors for good prices and earn a handsome amount during the season. They have to remain busy, with their family members, to meet the demand from the very early in the morning to late at night.
Each "gacchi" who extracts juice some 50 date trees are to purchase over 100 earthen pots from the potters, said Kalam Hossain under Adamdighi upazila of the district. He said that the earthen pots are being sold at higher prices during this season compared to the previous year.
Jalal Uddin, a "gachhi" under Dupchanchia upazila said, he has 65 date trees and he has already purchased 120 earthen pots for collecting date juice. He will need more pots for storing of molasses later, he added.
During a recent visit at a pottery village this correspondent found a pair of earthen pots is being sold at Tk 50 to 60 during November to March in the retail market while at Tk 40 to 45 in the wholesale markets against Tk 20 to 25 production cost.
President of district unit of potters Anukul Paul said the artisans of earthen pots sell over Tk 45,000 to Tk 90,000 per month during this season as the items sell like hot cakes. Overall they sell the earthen pots at Tk 0.5 to 8 million during the winter season, he added.
