Trained up and skilled potters including women have been producing household utensils, agriculture related appliances and toys of children in four upazilas of Chuadanga district overcoming in marketing competition of plastic made items. Pottery production is considered as small and cottage industry. However, due to various reason including lack of fund and client demand, this millennia-old tradition is fading away.
About 425 potters of Chuadanga district are engaged whole year making clay-made cookware, kitchenware, cattle feeding jars, rings for wells, jar for date juice collecting from date trees and slaps of wells etc. and sold those to the local people and businessmen of the district. Their producing items are being met up farmers, newly made house owners, children and housewives of every family. Potters are happy for maintaining their family through the pottery industry, sources added.
Prominent small pottery industry villages are Hanurbaradi, Kundipur, Taltala, Goraitupi, Mahmudjuma, Mominpur, Betabaria in Sadar Upazila, Monohorapur, Kashipur, Dehati in Jibannagar Upazila, Gorgori, Khaskowra, Talukkora, Gobindapur, Belgachhi, Jamjomi, Maju, Kalidashpur in Alamdanga Upazila, and Bishnopur in Damurhuda Upazila of the district.
The porters have been facing inadequate of raw material like muddy, firewood, and price hike of different types of color, it is learnt from potters.
It may be mentioned that Chuadanga District Small and Cottage Industry Corporation has trained up the potters on modern technology of pottery production. Besides this corporation has provided financial assistance to the porters to run their industry smoothly.
Susanta Kumar Paul from village Monoharpur in Jibannagar upazila of the district he has been operating small pottery industry for 20 years and bearing his family through the work. His father also did the same for 30 years. Males and females of the family work together for preparing the pottery items. "Our ancestors were involved with the occupation.
I have learned the techniques from my father and am still continuing the job," said Bhojon Paul from Kundipur village under Sadar Upazila of the district.
Ashak Kumar Paul of village Khashkowra in Alamdanga Upazila that around 20 families are involved in making pottery products in the village.
"Most of potters involved in the pottery industry are underprivileged and uneducated. But they are a skilled workforce for this handicraft industry".
Kalom Paul of Taltala in district town said, they used to make different types of products (locally called ghot, prodip bati, malsa) from clay and that are being sold at local markets.
Md. Samsuzzaman, Deputy Manager of Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC), Chuadanga said, BSCIC arranges of training and provides loans for entrepreneurs as well as others as pottery production is considered a small and cottage industry.
He also stated, fairs of cottage industry related entrepreneurs like potters are to set up for displaying and selling their produced items to the visitors
