People of the weaver community in Jhenidah and neighboring Magura district have been leading inhuman life for past couple of decades. The weaver-prone area had turned into a village of silence as the smaller handloom factories were shut off for want of patronization.
The weaving industry workers have been reducing day by day as they could not run their families due to poor income. Many of the community people had left their four-father’s profession. They demanded of the government to save the community people and tradition weaving industry with small and medium enterprises (SME) support.
Talking to a number of weavers community people at Habibpur village in Shailkupa upapzila of Jhenidah, they said weavers in the village have reduced to 15 from at least 30 in last 20 years back. Finding no other alternatives, more people have been leaving their four-father’s profession for alternative work.
They said they face severe crisis of yarn, colour and some other materials as they are not available in the local markets. They procure the same form the mahajans engaged in supply the materials at a higher rate that increase the production rate, while they receive least.
Amirul Islam, president of Umedpur Union Weavers’ association in Jhenidah, said that the industry is survived anyway, especially by the female members as they are engaged in making Gamchha and low quality lung, the traditional cloth in rural villages. A woman with the help of another might weave four pieces of Gamchha or two pieces of lungi a day that hardly ensures Taka one hundred a day.
The association leader said the number of weaving factories in Jhenidah and Magura was at least 4,500 about 15 years back, while the number decreased to 2,000 at present. The male members are engaged in selling the same in market or managing the family with alternative work for survival.
As the Prime Minster has been encouraging reorganizing the decaying and traditional enterprises, their interests might be ensured if they are provided available loans or support as entrepreneurs through the government of banks at a lower rate, Amirul Islam said.
According to a source of Bangladesh Tant Board in Jhenidah, a total of 1,248 registered weavers family members have been running 1,390 weaving factory through 26 societies in six upazilas of Jhenidah, while 95 families running 100 factories through 100 factories in three upazilas except Mohammadpur upazila of Magura.
Regional liaison officer of Bangladesh Tant Board in Jhenidah Abu Siddique said they organize weavers in Jhenidah and Magura districts look after the registered society members. The board arranges skill development training for the registered society members free of cost at Pabna, Narshingdi and other training institutes. The board provides small-scale loans among them at the rate of 10 per cent per annum. Rate of recovery was 81 per cent on an average. An amount of Taka 79 lakh was pending with the societies.
