A little govt attention can do a lot
All in 750 families, except children, remain busy weaving costly and fashionable Benarasi Sai.
Their Char Habu village, a Teesta shoal in remote Gangachara upzila, is now known as a Benaroshi Polli, thanks to the initiative by one Abdur Rahman.
Traders from Dhaka now flock to the village to buy Benarasi produced in about 350 handloom units.
They had very hard days after the Teesta devoured all their cultivable lands. Working as day labourers was the only option. Many had to starve at times during lean cropping periods.
It is different now. Many have tin-shed houses.
Abdur Rahman had started life as a worker at a Benaroshi factory in Mirpur in Dhaka fifteen years back. He also went to Iran and Pakistan to learn better weaving and knitting.
He returned to his native Char Habu village in 1998 and set up three handlooms to produce Benaroshi.
He set up four more in two years and encouraged others to set up handlooms at their houses.
He also trained fellow villagers. This worked as a miracle.
A worker produces two saris a week and gets Tk 400 per piece. The production can be increased four to five times if power looms are used. But there is no electricity.
They have other problems also.
Mizanur Rahman who read up to class eight owns seven handlooms, on which 10 to 12 people work.
"Capital is out main problem", he told this correspondent during a recent visit.
"We are being exploited by big traders and merchants in Mirpur in Dhaka.
"They import yarn from India, Pakistan and Iran, supply us and buy back the products on their terms.
"They control everything and do not want that Benarasi production flourish in remote areas like Gangachara.
"We can import yarn but that needs big funds", young Mizanur Rahman said.
Noor Mohammed, another owner of a small weaving unit said, "We produce saris as per their (merchants) orders and are to depend on them.
"We want a change in the situation".
BRAC and Grameen Bank have launched micro credit programme in the area but the loans they provide are too small to serve our purpose, said Abdur Rahman.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. "We have to face hassle and harassment by merchants in Dhaka. They want to retain their monopoly", he said.
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