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Treacle industry

Jaggery production - pouring the boiled treacle into coconut shells to produce the hardened solid form of it. A kithul tree with a hanging flower cluster or 'mala' "I have climbed the kithul trees from my childhood," says Sisira Kumara.

"My father and his father climbed the trees to do this profession. It is our sole livelihood and my main source of income. "The kithul tree (Caryota urens) is a palm that grows up to 20 metres high and produces large hanging clusters of flowers near the top.

Tappers like Kumara are the heirs of a 2000-year tradition, braving the ascent twice daily to extract the sap. They do this by first gashing the base of the flower-cluster stalk, called a mala, then applying a herbal mixture to the 'wound' to stimulate it to excrete sap.

This prevents the flower from maturing so quickly, since mature flowers cannot be used for harvesting. After about two days, the mala is ready. The tapper ties together the hanging flowers, and cuts off their ends, positioning a clay pot beneath to collect the dripping sap.

The pot is replaced twice a day. Cutting the ends of the tied flower to extract the sap Kithul sap is used to make treacle and a hardened solid version of it known as jaggery. Both are then sold at local markets. "Sometimes we sell the sap itself," says Kumara.

The sap is also used to make a local alcoholic drink. The treacle was highly valued by Sri Lanka's ancient monarchy. Sap from the region near Rogesen Gama is of especially high quality, so the villagers say the old kings are blessing them from their graves.

And now people in Rogesen Gama say they have another blessing, this time from modern science. Science for treacle In 1994, the Sri Lankan government - which had paid little attention to this traditional craft before - stepped in through its Ministry of Rural Development and Self Employment Generation to fund research aiming to make sap extraction more productive.

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