As winter approaches, the producers of ‘Kumro Bori’, a kind of dried nuggets made from the paste of Pumpkin and Pulse, of Tarash upazila in Sirajganj have become active.
They are spending their time in shaping and drying the nuggets as the value of Kumro Bori is a little higher in the winter season and there is a huge demand for these delicious native food item in different parts of the country.
Therefore, like every year, Kumro Bori producers and traders are busy with making Kumro Bori in different villages of the upazila. Kumro Bori traders think that if they make and sell Kumro Bori in advance, it will be more profitable and more expensive during the pick season.
Visiting on the field, it was seen that in Naogaon village under Naogaon union of the upazila. Men as well as women are helping in producing, drying and storing of the Kumro Bori work.
Kumro Bori trader Altab Ali said that these nuggets are currently being sold at Tk 70-80 per kg in the market. However, they are expecting the prices to rise even higher in a few days.
Tofazzal Hossain, a Kumro Bori maker in Tarash upazila, said that the nuggets made in this region were sent to different parts of the country after meeting the local demand as they are very tasty. Especially the nuggets are transported to Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet and all other big cities of the country for there is a huge demand.
He added that it is possible to make it all year round but it is made more in quantity in winter because it is more fun to cook and eat these nuggets with a variety of vegetables that are available during the winter.
It is learned that about 30-40 families of Naogaon village under Naogaon union of Tarash upazila have been engaged in making Kumro Bori for many years by working hard to improve the lot of the backward people of the village.
Hamid of Naogaon village, a Kumro Bari maker in the Upazila said that the families of Kumro Bari traders were not well off at first but, now they do a lot of affluent business through producing and selling Kumro Bori.
For making Kumro Bori, people used to soak the pulses in the evening in the traditional way and the next day they used to make the nuggets using pulses, dyes, oils, tin sheet after crushing them on a traditional grinder locally known as Sheelpata.
However, now they do not have to toil that much to make the nuggets as the pulses for making Kumro Bori can be smoothly crushed using machines.
Hosne Ara, a maker of Kumro Bori from Naogaon village, said they had to work hard to make the nuggets earlier but, now they can make those a bit more easily with new methods. Now the pulses are broken by the machine and they just have to shape the nuggets by hand on surface.
Apart from this, in the continuation of the development of the present government, pulses and rice were broken by automation with the help of modern technology, so the hard work that was needed to make Kumro Bori earlier is less now.
Tarash Upazila Agriculture Officer, agronomist Lutfunnahar Luna said, “Kumro Bori made in this region is appreciated in different parts of the country.
Many women workers are making a living by making Kumro Bori in Tarash upazila now-a-days.
