Khulna is widely known for the Sundarbans and its mouthwatering shrimp. But in recent years, the region’s traditional spice, chui jhal (piper chaba), has been gaining remarkable popularity, bringing new opportunities for locals.
Chui jhal, one of the most desirable food ingredients in the southwestern region, is winning the hearts of people beyond the division and abroad, attracting more farmers, including the educated, into cultivating it.
According to agronomists, the botanical name of chui jhal is piper chaba. Chui trees look like betel leaf vines. Its roots and stems are cut into pieces and used in cooking. Chui jhal, which tastes salty, is widely known as a spice in the southwestern districts, namely Khulna, Satkhira, Bagerhat, Jashore, and Narail.
Nabadwip Mallik, a resident of Baratia village under Atlia union in Dumuria upazila, has become self-reliant through the cultivation of chui jhal.
Nabadwip has been running Chui Nursery since 2016. So far, he has sold about 70,000 saplings, each bringing Taka 40 on average. He has arround 1,00,000 saplings in his nursery at present.
People from different parts of the country buy saplings from Nabadwip’s nursery, and he supplies them through courier service providers.
“I have supplied saplings to people from all 64 districts in the country. Several farmers have set up nurseries. They are all succeeding,” Nabadwip said.
After completing his graduation, Nabadwip tried his luck in various offices in search of a job but failed to catch the proverbial ‘golden deer’ of employment.
Eventually, out of frustration, he joined a multi-level marketing (MLM) company. Though the business initially went well, it abruptly shut down, leading him back to unemployment.
In such a difficult situation, about 5 to 6 years ago, he started cultivating chui jhal based on advice from a local agriculture officer.
The first couple of years were challenging, but now he faces no issues. Every month, he sells chui jhal saplings worth Taka 1 to 1.5 lakh and mature chui jhal worth Taka 1.5 to 2 lakh in local and national markets. He earns Taka 25 to Taka 30 lakh every year just by selling chui and its seedlings.
Alongside, he has established an aesthetically pleasing nursery named NPN Agro Enterprise near the Khulna-Satkhira highway in his village.
He supplies chui jhal saplings and the spice itself to different parts of the country through courier services. Each sapling is priced between Taka 40 to Taka 50, while chui jhal sells at Taka 1,000 to 1,200 per kilogram. His products are in high demand in local markets as well.
Nabadwip employs two men and two women at his agro farm, paying them monthly wages totalling Taka 25,000 to Taka 30,000.
“Instead of doing a job, I’m now creating jobs for others. This is how we can transform our country into a new Bangladesh after the July uprising,” he said.
Another farmer, Atiar Rahman of Mechoghona village, said one can earn from chui farming a year after planting, and it is possible to generate up to Taka 4 lakh annually in three to four years if the item is grown on only two to three decimals of land.
Dumuria Upazila Agriculture Officer Md Insad Ibn Amin remarked that the stem or creeper of the chui jhal plant is used as a spice. The Department of Agricultural Extension is actively promoting its cultivation in Dumuria.
In the Khulna region, chui jhal is used in cooking meat, enhancing flavor without harming health. It improves the taste of curries and carries medicinal properties in its roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits. Chui jhal is highly popular in the southwestern districts of Khulna, Jashore, Satkhira, Bagerhat, and Narail.