The tappers are known as gachis, tree people, from the Bangla word gach, meaning “tree.” Other people own the palms, and the owners typically get a half share of the product. The gachis are poor, independent operators, generally agricultural laborers who do this as a seasonal sideline. To harvest sap, a gachi climbs a tree, shaves away a large patch of bark near the top to create a V-shaped bare patch (from which sap oozes out), places a hollow bamboo tap at the base of the V, and hangs his small clay pot beneath the tap. The sap flows overnight; the pot fills. Just before dawn, the gachi
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Transmission of Nipah
