Bagerhat Correspondent :
The scarcity of honey is prevailing in the Eastern Division of Sundabans this year, according to reports received here.
Failing to collect honey as per their expectations a good number of honey collectors locally known as “Mawals” already left the forest and returned homes.
Due to unexpected and unwanted longevity of drought and scorching heat flowers of different kinds of trees, mainly of Kewra are falling down from the trees regularly before their maturity and consequently, there found no sufficient number of honeycombs and those are very small in size.
All those are the main causes behind the scarcity of honey are disclosed to the newsmen by the Mawals (honey collectors). Now they (Mawals) are puzzled in thinking how they refund the money borrowed from the money lenders.
Jalal Hawladar, a Mawal of Purbo Khuriakhali village under Sharankhola Upazila told, virtually there are neither bees nor honeycombs in Sundarbans in this year.
The Mawal Jalal told, I borrowed Tk.50 thousand from a money lender with high interest to collect honey from Sundarbasns.
I along with 10 others stayed 10 days in the forest to collect honey.
But unfortunately we found only 15 honeycombs and collected 10 kgs honey from them.
So, we returned home from the forest almost in empty hands.
He told with frustration, how I can refund the money borrowed from the money lenders! Awal Khan, a Mawal hails from Sharankhola (under Sharankhola Upazila) who also returned home from the forest opined almost the same and told, I along with 11 others stayed 11 days in the forest and collected only 20 kgs hony.
As we failed to collect the expected quantity of honey we returned home. Riadul Shikdar, a Mawal of village Chalitabunia, Ismail Jomaddar and Shahjahan Akon, 2 Mawals of village Khuriakhali, Jalal Molla hails from Sharankhola Bazar and some other Mawals told almost the same story.
Due to the continuous and unexpected what spell and want of rains the flowers of the trees were fallen before their maturity and this is why the bees could not collect the expected quantity of honey.
So, the honey collectors or Mawals failed to collect the desired quantities of both honey and wax. Those were commented by all the Mawals of the Eastern Sundarbans.
A number Mawals who are unwilling to mention their names told the bees at the time of collecting the nectars from the flowers a good number of bees die when they come to the contact with water of rivers and canals of Sundarbans as the water is poisonous. Because, at that time a good number of dishonest and over greedy fishermen pour the insecticides into the water of rivers and canals in order to catch huge quantities of fish easily and without less labours
It is learnt from the forest department that collection of honey from the forest increased and consequently, the collection of revenue is also increased from this sector. The Mawals are allowed to collect honey from Sundarbans during the period from the month of March 15 to 30th June since the last year. It was alleged that a gang of miscreants used to entire into the forest and collect huge quantity of honey. In order to check the matter the period for the collection of honey 15 days were extended from (March 15 to June 30) the last year.
According to a report, more than 300 Mawals already entered into the forest after obtaining permits/passes from the forest offices. It is also learnt from the concerned authorities that after entering into the forest the Mawals were dishearten as there is no sufficient number of honeycombs and those are small in size. On the other hand, the quantity of honey collected from the honeycombs is extremely poor.
Shaikh Mahbub Hasan (ACF), Range Officer of Sharankhola in the Eastern Division of Sundarban (in Bagerhat district) told, the forest department already fixed the target the collection of 6 (six) hundred quintals of honey and 2 (two) hundred quintals of wax from Sharankhola forest range alone. But the Mawals cannot collect sufficient quantity of honey. So, a good number of Mawals already returned home after refunding their permits/passes to Sharankhola forest office. It was confirmed by the ACF.
