Printing and binding sector is facing serious difficulties to run the business smoothly as work-order in this sector has reduced to half amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The owners and workers of the printing presses and binding houses usually remain very busy in the month of November and December. Every year they get huge orders of calendars and diaries by this time. Printing press and binding house owners make a good profit from November to February every year. They consider this season as peak season as they get huge orders of books and other stuffs in this time. However, the common scenario is almost absent this year due to coronavirus.
Press owners and workers said, “We didn’t face such a situation in last 50 years. In this situation, thousands of people involved in this sector are passing very tough time. Many owners are trying to leave the business and looking for something else to survive.”
While visiting different printing presses and book binding factories in the capital, this correspondent found that a number of workers and owners have no work to do. Workers are facing job cut jeopardy as there is no order in their workplaces.
Md Abdul Motin, owner of Dhubaria Book Binding and Pasting, told Bangladesh Post, “There is almost no order from the customers since March. We usually get most of our orders in November and December. But this year, we did not get one-third of the orders compared to last year.”
“I faced huge loss in last eight months. I had to pay the salaries of workers and rent of this place despite no activities in my business during the Covid-19. I had to release almost half of my workers. I will see till January and then sell my business if the situation doesn’t improve,” he added.
It was known that the press traders have suffered due to unavailability of orders for calendars, diaries and notepads in the printing presses this season.
Although almost all the government and non-government organisations of the country have been opened after a long time, printing presses are not getting their desired works.
Every year from October to January, the workers of Azad Products, a printing house in the capital, spend their time making diaries, calendars and notepads. This year, their work has been reduced by 50 percent.
Mostafa Kamal, general manager of Azad Products told Bangladesh Post, “After the closure of the press for the last five months, our printing and binding activities have been revived recently. However, we are not getting seasonal usual orders as before. It has also become difficult for us to pay the salaries of more than 100 workers of our factories.”
Yusuf Ali, a regular customer of Azad Products, said, “We normally make 6,000 diaries every year, but this year, we have decided to make only 2,000.”
Mansoor Ali, manager of Rangbahari Production, said, “Buyers halted their work-order during the pandemic. Due to this, many printing presses in Bangla Bazar area were closed. Half of the workers remained unutilized due to lack of work. It seems that we won’t run the factory anymore.”
Mohammad Shahjahan, general secretary of the Bangladesh Printing and Production Association said, “Printing presses, design houses, binding factories and showrooms are on the verge of closure due to lack of work. There are no buyers in the market. Although some get petty amount of work, many are forced to close factories as they have no work.”
“Usually we work for three months a year in full swing during this peak time and run the business for rest of the year with a margin level of work. But this year, even after the end of November, we are not getting adequate work-orders.”
Mohammad Bashir Uddin, Vice-President of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), said, “The demand of printed products has declined dramatically due to the closure of schools, colleges and universities. In this situation, the government’s financial incentives are essential for the survival of the entrepreneurs of this sector.”
The printing sector, comprised of more than 7,000 presses, witnessed massive growth in the last decade due to the government’s free book distribution initiative.
The collective industry currently has the capacity of printing some 100 crore books annually.
