HANDLOOMS ON THE WANE

The number of handlooms operating in Bangladesh fell by more than quarter in the last 15 years, leading to less jobs in the market. This is largely due to the sector’s shift towards mechanisation and dearth of labour. In 2003, there were 183,512 handlooms but the number fell 36.79 per cent to 116,006 in 2018, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics’ Handloom Census 2018. The previous two censuses were in 1990 and 2003. The photos were taken at Sholokbahar, Panchlaish of Chattogram recently.  

Photos: Rajib Raihan