Hair trade brings solvency for hundreds in Magura

Hundreds of traders in Magura and its neighbouring districts are making a good income from both human and animal hair.

These hairs are collected from barbershops, farms and individuals to manufacture wigs, hair extensions, handicrafts and others.

Many local traders have become financially solvent by providing this raw material to consumers in Dhaka while others are exporting hair to China, earning the country great sums of foreign currency.

During a visit to Boikhola village of Shalikha upazila in Magura, this correspondent found that around 10 local hair traders are enjoying good business by selling their product at high prices.

Around 500 collectors from Magura and its adjacent districts roam from village to village in the region purchasing human hair from barber shops as well as going door-to-door.

Many women in the region retain hair that fall out from the scalp when being combed, as each kilogramme (kg) can be sold for between Tk 1,500 and Tk 2,000 to hawkers.

After collecting this hair, traders process it for sale to apparel or wig manufacturers. Each labourer employed at this stage earns Tk 500 for processing two kg of hair per day.

Alauddin Mondol, a collector based in Boikhali village who deals in groundnut, chanachur and hair, said he earns about Tk 20,000 per month by selling roughly seven to eight kg of the material at Tk 5,000 per kg.

Another trader, Amirul Islam, said he sells five kg to six kg per month for about Tk 15,000.

"Although this job is difficult, it is very profitable," he said.

Trader Jashim Uddin of the same village said he has been in the business for 12 years now.

Soon after being allured to this highly profitable venture, he was able to upgrade from a tin house to one made of bricks. He has since also purchased a motorcycle and some six bighas of land for about Tk 4 lakh per bigha.

At present, he is also rearing sheep for their fleece.

"If the hair is longer in size then so too is its price," Jashim said.

He can sell 10-inch hair strands for Tk 8,000 per kg, 20-inch strands for Tk 19,500 per kg, 22-inch strands for Tk 33,500 per kg, 24-inch for Tk 36,000 per kg and 26-inch for Tk 49,000 per kg.

Another trader, Insan Ali, said 10 years into the business, he was leading a happy and prosperous life with his two sons, daughter and wife.

Earlier, he only had 20 decimals of land for his living space but success in hair trading has helped him build a brick house and purchase one acre of arable land for Tk 15 lakh.

Ikram Ali, another trader in the village, echoed the same, adding that the industry provides a good number of housewives, female students and jobless youths an opportunity to earn up to Tk 500 per day by processing hair.

Amanur Rahman and Shawkot Mollah, two hair traders based in Dhaka's Uttara, said they purchase hair from Magura and export it to China.

Shatakhali upazila Chairman Anwar Hossain Jhantu said some hair traders of Boikhali village were now solvent.

"It is a good initiative for them," he added.