PESHAWAR:Rajjar Methai, a famous oldest traditional sweet of Charsadda district mostly made of “Gur”, has started attracting a large number of buyers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, especially in Peshawar and Mardan divisions on the eve of Eidul Fitr celebrations.
Rajjar, a small bazaar of the Charsadda district with plenty of sweet shops, has started attracting sweet lovers in droves from across the province, especially from Peshawar, Mardan, and Mohmand, Khyber, and Nowshera districts due to its affordable price and delicious taste.
Located about one kilometer north of Charsadda City, Rajjar bazaar has now turned into a sweets market where the great rush of buyers is being witnessed in all bakery shops.
The traditional sweat was brought in substantial quantity in Peshawar, Charsadda, Swabi, Nowshera, and Mardan districts where Rajjar sweets are being sold like a hot cake on eve of Eid ul Fitr celebrations.
The consumers are being seen standing in long queues in front of sweet shops to wait for their turn to buy the famous tasty sweets being the identity of Charsadda despite the hot weather and fast of Ramazan.
Haji Muhammad Yaqoob, an owner of Razzar Sweet told reporter on Saturday that this hard-earned business was started by his grandfather Israruddin alias Chacha Halwai in 1930 and he belonged to the third generation running it today.
He said the delicious quality of the sweet differentiates it from the rest of the confectionaries in local markets due to its better taste, chemically free, and affordable price.
The people served it to relatives and guests as a special item on Eid, at weddings, engagements, and children’s birthday parties to strengthen the bond of love and friendship.
It is a preferred choice of many poor and white-collar people being sold for Rs 300-340 per kilogram in local markets.
Haji Yaqoob said the recipe for the popular sweet has changed over the years, adding only butter, flour, and gur were used by my grandfather in its preparation as sugar was not available in those ancient days.
Nowadays it is being prepared with various ingredients including desi ghee, milk, butter, gur, and white flour enhance its taste.
The popular sweet had attracted traders from Afghanistan and the Central Asian Republic while marching to the subcontinent via Charsadda and Peshawar through GT Road.
Traders from different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Balochistan, Azad Kashmir, and Punjab have placed orders ahead of Eidul Fitr and extra labor was hired to meet their pressing demands, he said.
He said about 50000 people are directly or indirectly associated with this business.
The interprovincial businesses and traders have made a substantial investment by purchasing huge stocks of the confectionary for their outlets to cater to consumers’ high demands for Eid besides earning maximum profits.
The local people also send the sweets as a gift to their friends and relatives, living in other parts of the country as well as abroad.
He said it was being exported to Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, and several Middle Eastern countries besides sending to America, the UK, and other western countries as a gift for friends and relatives.
“Rajar sweet is my first choice on Meeti Eid. I have purchased 30-kilogram sweets including five KG each for my married sisters, maternal uncles, and relatives as a special Eid gift,” Ehtisham Khan, s resident of Wapda Town told reporter.
“I personally like it because it is prepared in milk and gur making it more delicious, tasty, and free of adulteration,” he said.
He said Pakistan can earn valuable foreign exchange by exporting the traditional confectionery to international markets.
The focus should be made on its marketing by involving foreign missions to explore new avenues for this popular product.
Riaz Khan, a retired school teacher said that Rajjar sweet was an essential part of my shopping and his Eid seemed incomplete without it.
Yaqoob said coronavirus lockdown has badly affected the business and shopkeepers suffered substantial economic losses due to the pandemic.
He urged KP Government to announce a relief package for affected shopkeepers of Rajjar sweets.
He demanded giving Rajjar sweets status of the industry and special incentives to people associated with this old business to earn valuable foreign exchange for the country.