Hectic days for Benarasi weavers in Rangpur

Weavers of Benarasi Palli in Rangpur's Gangachara upazila are busy making sarees ahead of Eid.

The village is just 20 km from the district town.

Benarasi Palli wears a festive look these days and the rhythmic sound of weaving machines keeps the area vibrant.

Abdur Rahman, founder of Benarasi Palli, said their target is to weave 2,000 sarees to meet the consumers' demand this Eid. Around 2,500 weavers, including 400 females, have been working round the clock weaving expensive Benarasi sarees.

Farida Akter, owner of a weaving factory, said she has eight weaving machines. Normally, she can produce 16 sarees a week, but her target is to produce 30 sarees in a week. Thirty weavers are working day and night to reach the target, she said.

Another factory owner Rustam Mia said his target is to produce 100 sarees this season.

Weaver Gias Uddin said a worker needs at least five days to weave a saree and gets only Tk 1,500 per saree, which is not enough. He urged the owners to raise their wages.

A female's wage is less than a male's, said weaver Julekha Begum.

Sales have also picked up due to higher demand for hand-woven sarees, shopkeepers said.

A large number of buyers from other districts, including Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet, gather at Benarasi Palli to buy the best hand woven sarees.

A salesman shows a Benarasi sari to a customer at a shop in the town. Photo: Star

Rafiq Rana, a trader of Dhaka, said price is high this year, adding that the price range of the sarees is between Tk 6,000 and Tk 15,000, depending on quality and design.

Production will be doubled if sufficient electricity is provided to Benarasi Palli, factory owners said.

Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation granted Tk 2.38 crore for the development of Benarasi Palli, which was established in 2005 with 60 weavers.

There are over 500 workers in the industry, but the number is declining due to poor market. They urged the government to take more initiatives to expand the industry.