Ghani mustard oil eyes revival as demand surges

With the growing demand for age-old Ghani, the ox-cart driven mustard oil mill is now back in operation signaling a revival of its forgotten past as well as its heritage.

The traditional heritage Ghani -- an indigenous method of producing mustard oil -- is no more a common scenario in Bangladesh after the advent of corporate business with modern technologies along with huge investment.

However, the ancient oil mills are still struggling to survive in few parts of the country as a few people are trying to salvage their paternal business.

Despite the fact that mass-produced and branded mustard oil is readily available at nearby grocery shops looking more refined than age-old Ghani, health-conscious consumers prefer Ghani mustard oil for its purity.

Talking to The Business Post, Md Khurshidul Zahid, an associate professor, Institute of Nutrition and Food Science at Dhaka University, said: “If the Ghani oil manufacturers can ensure a clean and healthy environment while producing oils, definitely it will be always good for consumers.”

“In order to get the better version of Ghani oil, the authorities should always monitor the mills and look after whether the millers mix any chemicals with the oil or not.”

Local mustard oil brands like Radhuni, Teer, Fresh and the like are dominating the domestic market. Besides, non-brand mustard oil is also available.

A 1-litre Radhuni brand oil is being sold at Tk 260 while one-litre Fresh mustard oil at Tk 255 and the same amount of Teer brand is at Tk 235.

In the modern advanced technological era, such Ghani mustard oil is not widely available in the country’s major urban areas though a large section of conscious consumers still look for this, particularly for its taste and flavour.

That’s why such mustard oil, popularly and traditionally known as Ghani oil, still survives, unbendingly fighting with the modern technologies set up with huge investments.

How Ghani oil is extracted

Usually, blindfolded trained cows are used to avoid their dizziness and distraction while circling around the wooden extraction machine and thus the oil seeds are processed which is also time-consuming.

While talking to The Business Post, Mohammad Momin, manager of Marjan Oil Mill at Savar, said: “I have been involved with the traditional Ghani oil refinery business since 2009 as my paternal family got involved in it for more than 50 years.”

“Despite the flooding of branded mustard oil in the market, there are still some health-conscious consumers always preferring to buy Ghani oil from us though our product price is higher than the branded ones.”

“With the growing demand for Ghani oil across the country, I have started selling my company’s products online across the country including Dhaka, Chattogram, Noakhali, Pabna, Feni, Mymensingh and Barisal. At the moment, my product is being delivered through USB Express and SA Paribahan courier service,” said Momin.

A total of four such Ghani mustard oil factories are seen operational in Savar area.

Apart from Savar, the traditional ox-cart driven oil mills are also mainly available in Pabna, Nilphamari, Thakurgaon and a few other places.

The businessmen recalled that traditional Ghani or ox-cart driven oil mills were the only source of mustard oil during the Pakistan period and also even after the liberation war.

As the owners of such mills don’t have any association or forum, they do not have any idea about the exact market size or growth rate of this sector.

Sector people claimed that the demand for Ghani oil has been increasing steadily across the country as the consumers’ purchasing power has also increased over the last couple of years.

They also urged the government to extend its policy support as well as guidelines to those producing Ghani mustard oil, using traditional method.

Khairul Islam, a customer said, “I always opt to buy Ghani mustard oil rather than any other branded edible oils as it is very pure and also good for our health. The prices of Ghani oil are comparatively higher than those of normal mustard oil and soybean oil.”

Like Khairul, many consumers also claimed that Ghani oil is still a popular cooking ingredient due to its original flavour. Besides, it can also be used for hair and skin care too.

“We can revive our traditional mode of extracting Ghani mustard oil only by boycotting the machine-produced branded oils,” they opined.

According to a report by Mordor Intelligence, Bangladesh mustard oil market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.6 per cent during the forecast period of 2020-2025.

The report also said mustard oil accounts for a share of around 5-6 per cent of Bangladesh edible oil market.