Dairy products from outside out to spell doom for local ones

...a practice that is out to spoil the market of the ethnic delicacies in the State is the flood of cream and other dairy products from West Bengal and Bihar being sold by a section of traders by branding them as local products. This practice has spelt doom for the local women NGOs that have been producing such edibles in large scale and selling them at various Bhogali Fairs currently underway at various places in the city.

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Jan 11: Bhogali delicacies do make distinctive features of Assamese ethnicity, but not without burning holes in consumers’ pockets. Yet the consumers have been on a buying spree as they feel their Bhogali Bihu incomplete without, what they are fond of, various pithas from Tinsukia, Sivasagar, Tengakhat and Golaghat; and curdles and other dairy products from Ramdiya and Sorbhog. The prices of every other delicacy is too high.

While cream is sold at Rs 500 a kg, cow curd is sold at Rs 120  kg and that buffalo curd is Rs 150, khejur gur at Rs 80-100 and sugarcane gur at Rs 50-60 a kg, joha chewra at Rs 120 a kg, boradhanor chewra at Rs 100 a kg, malbuk chewra at Rs 80 a kg, baodhanor chewra at Rs 100 a kg, Rampal joha chewra at Rs 140 a kg, Aijong chewra at Rs 80 a kg, coconut ladu at Rs 40-50 a packet, tilor ladu at Rs 40-50 a packet, tilpitha at Rs 50 a packet, ghilapitha at Rs 50 a packet, telpitha at Rs 50 a packet, Sutali pitha at Rs 100 a packet, bora chowl at Rs 80 a kg, til at Rs 100 a kg, coconut at Rs 50/60 a pair, hurum at Rs 400 a kg, matimah at Rs 120 a kg, Ronga Bora chowl at Rs 70-80 a kg, etc.

Despite feeling the pinch, the consumers continue to buy the delicacies as though they are addicted to such delicacies, especially in the Bhogali season. However, a practice that is out to spoil the market of the ethnic delicacies in the State is the flood of cream and other dairy products from West Bengal and Bihar being sold by a section of traders by branding them as local products. This practice has spelt doom for the local women NGOs that have been producing such edibles in large scale and selling them at various Bhogali Fairs currently underway at various places in the city. The efforts on their part to preserve ethnicity will not go waste as they are demonstration at the fairs as to show such delicacies are prepared.