A wild tree once considered useless is now creating jobs and adding value in Jhenaidah, where vetul wood is being transformed into ice cream sticks through a small cottage industry.
The initiative has not only increased the value of an otherwise neglected tree but also created income opportunities for around 50 families, mostly women, in Dudhshara village of Kotchandpur Municipality.
A small factory beside a canal in the village processes vetul tree logs collected from Jhenaidah, Chuadanga and Jashore. The wood, once used mainly as firewood due to its low commercial demand, is now cut into ice cream sticks, dried and supplied to ice cream manufacturers across the country.
After the sticks are produced at the factory, they are sent to households where women sort and bundle them alongside their daily chores. Each worker earns around Tk2,500 to Tk3,500 a month from the work.
Factory chief craftsman Md Mokhlesur Rahman said vetul trees are collected through local timber traders before being processed into sticks using specialised methods.
“Hand sorting ensures better quality sticks. Around 50 families, including elderly women and men, are involved in sorting and bundling the products,” he said.
Rabeya Khatun, a resident of Dudhshara village, said she had been doing the work for nearly two decades.
“My husband is ill and my only son has a disability. It is difficult for me to work outside, so I prepare bundles of sticks at home. The income helps run my family,” she said.
Another villager, Badsha Mia, said women in the village had been involved in the work for about 25 years, while students also earned money by making bundles in their spare time.
Factory manager Mir Shahriar Ahmed Dipu said his father started producing ice cream sticks from bamboo in 2001. Later, the factory shifted to wood after ice cream companies raised concerns over bamboo sticks.
“Vetul wood is now used because it is easily available, inexpensive and requires no special cultivation. The sticks are produced in a hygienic way using natural materials,” he said.
He said the factory was part of the cottage industry sector and needed government support to expand.
“Our products are supplied to ice cream companies of different sizes across Bangladesh. Greater support could help more disadvantaged rural families become self-reliant,” Dipu added.
