'Nira kurma' juice much sought after during Ramadan

KOTA BHARU, April 24 -- Although there are various types of drinks sold during Ramadan, the ‘nira kurma’ juice (from date palms) or also known as 'tuak kurma' has become much sought after and sold 10 times more than in a regular month.

Reportedly the sole entrepreneur of the date palm juice in Malaysia, Mohd Zain Mohamed, 61, said he was able to sell more than 20 litres of it a day compared to only three litres in other months.

He said the tasty drink is often requested by the public.

“The tuak kurma is not processed with dates. Instead when the stem is tapped, it will produce a liquid that looks like the colour of water and is more or less the same as the nira coconut.

"In fact, dates have become synonymous (with Ramadan), especially for the Muslim community in the country. Moreover, I am the only one who does it (juice), thus making it a challenge for me to meet customer demand," he said when met by reporters at his date palm farm in Kampung Teras, Binjai, here today.

Mohd Zain said it was like a dream come true as now he is able to earn almost tens of thousands of ringgit by selling the date palm juice.

“The date juice is sold at RM15 per bottle of 250 millilitres (ml), and to ensure that the nira water taken from the date palm lasts longer, I will put pieces of chengal wood into the bottle that is hung on a tree.

"Usually, customers will come to my house or directly to my farm to buy it. Most customers are just locals as it (the drink) does not last long but there are times when I send the juice to Kuala Lumpur," he said.

Apart from that, Mohd Zain also works also on date vinegar to be commercialised as the drink has many health benefits.

“Date vinegar is sold at RM20 a bottle of 300 ml. This vinegar is different from regular food vinegar as it is very good for health.

"In fact, after (Hari Raya) Aidilfitri, the owner of a Saudi Arabian company is planning to take a supply of date vinegar from me to sell over there," he added.

-- BERNAMA