Sad demise of a pathfinder

The gate of once busy Comilla Mojaher Co-operative Industry now remains shut most of the time. PHOTO: STAR

With a vision to mechanise agriculture and raise food production in the then East Pakistan, Khan had started the factory at Ranir Bazar in the town with an initial capital of only Tk 26 and 87 paisa from his pocket.

He organised farmers' cooperatives and introduced high yielding IRRI by replacing traditional low yielding varieties of rice. The Mojaher factory produced and supplied all the equipment required -- from irrigation to thrashing and drying of harvested paddy.

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The success was phenomenal. He then established a Rural Development Academy, now called BARD (Bangladesh Academy of Rural Development) and a central cooperative society styled KTCCA. In less than a decade, the factory expanded to 14 branches in the district, employing several hundred skilled workers. Engineers from Japan were also involved.

The factory played the key role in bringing about the changes now seen in the country's agriculture.

Besides irrigation equipment including shallow and deep tube wells, the factory produced rice grinding machine, hoe machine, seed spray machine, rice thrasher and dryer, hand pump, tradle pump, power pressure machine and a host of other equipment.

But the once national award winner is now virtually closed now with a burden of about Tk one crore bank loan and Tk 40 lakh workers' dues, sources there said. Only 25 workers now laze about on the compound, occasionally doing some work. The rest left or were retrenched.

The downslide began in early 1990s.

The factory, owned by the Cooperative Department, is run by a six-member committee, four of them elected by workers and two nominated by the Cooperative Department. A Divisional Cooperative Officer looks after it as the Principal Officer.

Abdul Hamid, president of the present committee said, the factory owes about Tk one crore to Sonali Bank and Samobai Bank and Tk 40 lakh to workers as wages.

To pay the loan and dues, the committee has decided sell part of land and age-old trees, he said.

The Co-operative Department accepted the proposal. A 5-member committee headed by the Deputy Commissioner floated a tender on May 16, but received a bid allegedly due to objection by a section of former workers and some vested quarters, Abdul Hamid said.

A fresh tender will be floated.