Ignoring people’s health risk, Gaibandha jaggery traders are producing adulterated molasses by using soda, chemical colouring and saccharine to bring in more profit by investing less capital.
Jaggery, also known as gur to Bangladeshis, is commonly used and is a market-demanding commodity.
People alleged that instead of using sugarcane juice, gur producers at different villages under Chhaigari, Hingarpara, Hasanpur and Sadullapur upazila are making the product by using sub-standard flour, soda, liquid sugar used as cattle fodder, sugar, chemical colouring, and saccharine to bring in more profits without investing much.
Bangladeshi women traditionally use gur to make sweet food items such as, saline, tea, pithas (various kinds of homemade desserts), and different types of local delicacies such as khurma, batesha, moya, naru and payesh.
Homemakers from different areas alleged that they could not make any types of pithas or other dessert items using the adulterated gur.
Mahmuda Akter, a homemaker at Paschimpara in Gaibandha town said, a few days ago she bought two pieces of gur from a hawker in the town’s market costing Tk80 to prepare desserts for her children.
She however could not prepare the food properly as the gur was adulterated.
Abdul Mannan, a gur producer at Chhaigari village, said he produce adulterated gur as it calls for less investment but brings in more profit than being produced from sugarcane juice.
Locals alleged that the unprincipled gur producers are running their business smoothly as they bribe the upazila health inspector.
The upazila health inspector Jahurul Islam on the other hand denied the allegation against him.
