About 55,000 hand loom factories in Narayanganj have become inoperative over the past five years with many workers, labourers and weavers losing their jobs. Once the thriving, booming and crowded factories have now turned silent except for the sighs of jobless workers and weavers.
Most of the owners of the factories have changed their profession because of the price hike of raw materials, high interest rate of bank loans, labour crisis, and above all, lack of government patronage and financial backing. According to sources, most of the handloom factories are in Araihazar and Rupganj in the district. Each village of Fatullah had 50 weaving machines earlier. But the handloom factories have been shutting down gradually. The demand for handloom machines started going down with electricity-run power looms entering the market. Sources said, a Basic Centre of Upazila Handloom Board was installed in Araihazar Sadar in the 80s for the development of the weaver families. More than 50, 000 weavers of Narayanganj were included in Tant Samity. At the beginning of the Basic Centre, weavers got government incentive and loan facilities which facilitated them to run and expand their business. As a result, the number of weavers and weaving factories increased. The Basic Centre looked after the handloom factories of the seven upazilas of the district. Lungi, Gamcha and Saree were made in the factories. The weaving factories were established at Jalkuri, Painadi, Mijmiji, Dhakeshwari, and Godnail of Shiddhirganj, and Delpara Bhuigarh and Noyamati of Fatullah. The popular cloth markets were set up at Sheikher Char of Narshingdi, Baburhat, Bardi of Sonargaon, Tarab of Rupganj and Noyapara Bazar.
Weaver Lokman Hossain of Bailla Village of Bhulta Union of Rupganj Upazila said “I used to make three-pieces for women. Now the business is not profitable as the production cost is very high. Many weavers have been ruined with debt. There are no other options but to quit the business.” Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Rupganj Momtaj Begum said, it is difficult for the handloom factories to survive with the powerloom factories. But it is our tradition. The government should save the handloom factories by giving subsidy.
The handloom factories in Cumilla are facing uncertainty due to frequent price hike of essential raw materials. Most of the handloom factories are situated in Chandina, Debidwar, Laksam and Daudkandi upazilas of Cumilla . About 2,000 people are involved in the industry. The handloom workers produce sari, lungi, napkin and many other items in the factories and supply them to markets across the country. Once, some of these items, which were of high quality, were even exported to foreign countries. But those days are now gone.
An organised syndicate controls the market of dye and yarn and increases the prices frequently, threatening the existence of the industry, alleged some handloom factory owners. The rise in prices of raw materials in the international market is also shown as an excuse for the increase of prices in the domestic market, they complained.
Many handloom factory owners complain that though traders raise the prices of dye and yarn, handloom owners are not getting due prices for their products in the markets, they opined. One of the craftsmen Dherendra Mohon said, "Now we can earn only Tk 500 to Tk 600 by weaving 96 gamchhas from 24 bundles of yarn. Previously, the income was Tk 1,000 to 1200." So they left the profession and became engaged in breaking bricks or doing other odd jobs to maintain their families. When contacted, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md. Hasanuzzman Kollol said that they would take necessary steps in this regard at the directive of the concerned authorities.
Jashore Regional Correspondent, Sultan Mahmood, said the glorious handloom industry of Narail was on the verge of extinction. There was a time when the weavers of Narail produced the best quality saree, lungi and gamcha and the demands for those products were high across the country. Many of the weavers have lost interest in the industry due to financial insolvency and less profit compared to their investment.
About 3,000 weaving industries are on the verge of extinction due to lack of proper patronization in three upazilas of Narail district. Narail district co-operative office sources said, a total of 25 weaving industries in three upazilas of the district now exist. Of them, 13 in Sadar upazila, 9 in Lohagara upazila and 3 in Kalia upazila.
Md. Rakib Uddin Al, Noor General Secretary of Maizpara Weaving Industries Cooperative Association in Sadar Upazila, said that due to the powerloom, the weaving industries have been closing. He claimed that around 300 weaving industries are still being operated in 8 to 10 villages in Narail district and the factories may be shut down any time if there is no government patronisation. Weaver Sonamukhi Bibi said, "We mainly produce gamchha but the price of the item has not increased compared to the price of yarn." Azad Rahman, a weaver in his 40s, said that if the weaving machine once goes out of order, it involves a lot of money to repair it.
Our Khulna Correspondent A K Hiru says that the main earning source of 100 percent families of four villages of Fhultola Upazia is weaving. But they have become hapless due to the price hike of raw materials and want of government patronization. At least 90 percent factories have been shut down. So the weavers are moving to different professions. Weaver Mahatab Uddin said, each village of Fhultola Upazia has weaving machines. The weavers make colourful gamcha and lungi with their deft hands. The gamcha of Fhulpur became popular at home and abroad for its quality, fine weaving and attractive colours. But now they have incurred loss for the price hike of thread and colour and labour cost.
Not only Fhultola village, more than 12,000 people of 15 villages of Dumuria and Abhaynagar of Jashore are engaged in the gamcha industry. Deputy Commissioner of Khulna Mohammad Helal Hossain said, “ I have come to know that the weavers who were engaged in gamcha industry are lagging a bit behind. We will work for their development.” Our Jhenaidah Correspondent, Delwar Kabir says, the weavers of Jhenidah and Magura districts have been leading inhuman lives since the past couple of decades. The number of the weaving industry workers has been reducing as they cannot run their families because of low income. When this correspondent talked to a number of weavers at Habibpur village in Jhenidah on Sunday noon, they said the number of weavers in the village had reduced from 30 to 15. People are moving to other professions leaving their ancestral profession. Habibpur Weavers’ Cooperative Association President, Amirul Islam, said that the factories are surviving anyhow, especially for the female members of the weaver families. The male members are engaged in selling the same in the market or managing the family with alternative jobs.