Nearly 10,000 distressed women of 10 villages under Naogaon sadar and Raninagar upazilas have become self-reliant by making various kinds of ropes using 'Jhut' - the disposed of cloth fragments of garments factories.
According to sources, hundreds of women belonged to Ilshabari, Mothermolla, Chalkbulaki, Shimulia, Bolirghat under Nagoan sadar upazila and Enayetpur, Purbo Balubhora, Rajapur, Bahadurpur and Dariapur villages under Raninagar upazila were now engaged in a struggle to change their status of livelihood by making rope from the jhut cloths. Many of them informed that, by wiping out poverty, they have now been able to bring solvency in their family by adopting the cottage industry. After completing their daily household chores, they are engaged in making the rope and ultimately this rope making has turned to be their profession.
By using the jhut cloths, they were not only making ropes but also making 'shika'( a rope made net to hang utensils), nets and even bags. The women engaged in making the rope informed, ropes made from the jhut cloths are strong and attractive, that is why it has a good demand for making betel-leaf sheds (baroj). Many women started to make the rope from 'jhut' by procuring loans from various non-government organisations and most of them have repaid their loan and become self-reliant. However, they said, if they got a loan at an easy instalment in low interest rate from the government, they would work with more interest. They would also make floor mats and floor wipers and other usables with those ropes if they got proper patronisation and required funds.
Women working in making ropes informed, they used to purchase a sac of Jhut cloth weighing 80 to 85 kilogrammes at Taka 3,500 to 4,000 ( Taka 45 per kilogramme) and after making ropes of a sac of jhut, they sold those at Taka 4,500 to 5,000. One woman can make rope from two sacks of jhut in a week and thus can earn Taka 5,000 to 6,000 per month easily. Because all the women are engaged in the work of making rope after all their household work, the profit is their net income and there are many families where all members are engaged in such jobs.
Ferdousi Akhter and Rebeka Bibi of Ilshabari village, Aklima Begum and Jarina Akhter of Mothermolla village under sadar upazila informed, each of them earns at least Taka 1,500 per week by making and selling the rope per week. By the money they earn, they can purchase medicine, pay educational expenses and day to day expenditure. They said, their condition is far better now than the past.
Aslam Hossain a jhut cloth trader in Naogaon sadar informed, there are several jhut cloth traders in Naogaon and in Raninagar. People from various villages used to purchase jhut cloths from those traders and after making rope from those jhut, they also sell those rope to the same jhut traders. The jhut traders used to sell those finished rope to various wholesale rope traders from Bogra, Rajshahi and Natore.
Sources of Naogaon Industrial Assistance Centre of BSCIC said, BSCIC was working to extend assistance for poor people and help to establish cottage and small industries by the industrial entrepreneurs through providing them loan and training.
