‘Dhaner Gola’, a traditional and indigenous store for paddy preservation in rural Bangladesh, has been decaying. But the people of Moheshpur upazila in Jhenaidah have been nourishing it till now for their own interest. It has also commercial potentials.
Many ‘Dhanar Gola’ are witnessed at many solvent families. Bhabnagar village of the upazila is widely known as Dhaner Gola village as the number of the same is at least 50. The farmers feel proud of being the owner of a Dhaner Gola at the front portion of their houses as it proves the solvency and dignity of the farmers, said the farmers.
During a visit to Bhabnagar village, this correspondent came to know that a good number of houses in the village are enriched with Dhaner Gola.
Amir Hossan Tarafder of the village said he has four Dhaner Golas at his house. He has been preserving paddy for this year round food demand and for commercial purposes. Another farmer Amjad Hossain Tarafder has two of the same. Other farmers in the village said, usually they use the Gola for paddy preservation. Further, it makes them popular in the locality as most rich, dignified and influential. Some of them nourish the Gola for a traditional paddy preservation system in the village.
The villagers said Jhantu Mandal, Abu Kashem, Asmat Ali, Shukur Ali, Nasir Uddin, Mohsin Ali, Laltu Mollah, Ramjan Ali, Minarul Islam, Serajul Islam, Fazlur Rahman Mollah and some other nourish Dhaner Gola.
They said the Gola makers prepare the same with various shapes and sizes of bamboo. The upper portion of the Gola is covered with straw as shed. About 100 maunds to 150 maunds of paddy are preserved in each Gola, they informed. Some of the farmers use corrugated tin as the shade there.
The villagers said a farmer has to spend Taka 25 thousand to 50 thousand to make a Gola. A Goal plays role in keeping the paddy fresh round the year as it is made of natural materials like bamboo and straw. They said the area of cropland in Bhabnagar village is over 2,000 bighas. Now the farmers have reduced the area to 400 bighas, while 1,200 bighas of land was used for paddy farming a few years back. Continuous loss in the paddy farming was one of the main reasons behind the reduction of land. A number of Dhaner Golas are lying empty when the house owners had reduced the paddy farming, they opined.
Chairman of Shyamkur Union Parishad Mohammad Amanullah said the number of Dhaner Gola has been decreasing from the rural Bangladesh when the farmers were deprived of fair price of the paddy in the market.
Praising the re-fixating of die ammonium phosphate (DAP) fertilizer, the UP chairman said it has encouraged the farmers, while the price of other fertilizers should be re-fixed to reduce the production cost more one stage. It will automatically help increase the Dhaner Gola for preserving the paddy in indigenous method, Mohammad Amanullah said.
