Nolen Gur Date Palm Jaggery West Bengal

Nolen gur (also called khejur gur or notun gur) is a seasonal fresh date-palm jaggery produced by sikhdar and chikar tree-climbers from the date palms of the deltaic plains of Murshidabad, Nadia, South 24 Parganas, and Bardhaman districts of West Bengal between November and February. The chikar climbers (gachhi) scale palm trees at dawn before sunrise to collect fresh sap (jhola gur) from clay pots tied to the sliced palm crown. The sap is immediately boiled to produce light liquid gur, semi-solid patali (disc jaggery), or sandesh-making nolen gur. Nolen gur sandesh and mishti doi (sweet curd) made with this winter jaggery are considered Bengali delicacies. The GI protection for Nolen Gur recognises its seasonality and geographical origin. Climate change threatens palm sap yield and the livelihood of gachhi climbers.