Gournadi’s yogurt makers miss taste of pre-pandemic sales
Yogurt producers and dealers of a good southern upazila made famous for the sweet dairy product are actually eagerly looking forward to better days to come via an end of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
"Gournadir Doi", which means yogurt of Gournadi, came to prominence on being made by a wholesale factory set up in a century-old interface of this upazila, positioned some 30 kilometres from Barishal district town.
The trick to the recipe is evidently usage of milk collected from cows being reared in remote neighbouring char areas.
Local sweetmeat traders stated at least four large wholesalers use that pure milk to make yoghurt on the upazila.
Sridam Ghosh, among the wholesale sweetmeat maker and trader, said his father was one of the pioneers of the Gournadi manufacturer.
Some 55 years back they used to help make the yoghurt in the port but even before that, Ghosh's grandfather utilized to distribute his product to unique areas. Relating to him, this organization has been heading on for at least 60-75 years.
Local sweetmeat traders reported at least four large wholesalers use genuine milk to create yoghurt on Gournadi upazila of Barishal district. Photo: Titu Das
About 500 people get excited about this business, which found creation reduced by at least 60 % as a result of Covid-19 fallout.
Still though, those vested available aim to overcome the current crisis and turn things around.
Usually round 200 maunds (one maund equals 37 kilogrammes) of milk ends up producing about 100 maunds of yoghurt. The production doubles during numerous festivals.
Krishna Ghosh, owner of Loknath Sweetmeat Bhandar, said he may make yoghurt with 30 maunds of milk each day.
Nevertheless, the ongoing pandemic possessed pressured him to keep carefully the business shut for just two months through the nationwide lockdown around March 26 and May 30.
During that period, yoghurt creation dropped to 5 maund per day while six from every 12 personnel were laid off.
"Now the yogurt time is ongoing thus we desire to sell well within the next few a few months'" Ghosh added.
Sweetmeat maker Anup Das said he has been around the profession for 35 years.
The milk is generally evaporated to half its volume prior to the butter is extracted. Later on, the liquid is normally cooled, located in a clay pot and protected with a sack until yogurt forms in about a day.
Yogurt maker Saikat Das said he buys milk for Tk 40-Tk 50 per kilogramme from local dealers found in Ramjanpur, Bakchar, Muladi, Barthi and Ramchar areas and markets the yoghurt for Tk 120 per kilogramme.
Palash Ghosh, standard secretary of Gournadi Sweetmeat Manufacturers Association, said they supplied yoghurt value Tk 1.5 to Tk 2 crore to local market segments in Barishal, Faridpur and Dhaka on a monthly basis.
"If the situation continues to improve within the next four a few months, the workers and dealers will survive if the pandemic worsens, they'll collapse once again," he added.
Ghosh went on to state that the original businesses now faced a good liquidity shortage and so would advantage if loans on easy circumstances were made available.
Bishu Ghosh, president of Barisal Sweets Manufacturers' Association, said the 500 or so workers involved in the business were trying to get by this winter in hopes of a better future.
