Tangail brush makers losing out for lockdowns

An apparent lack of coordination and disconnect with state initiatives is causing brush makers of a small village in Tangail to lose out to the Covid-19 fallouts and competition from China.

Herendrapara is situated in Lauhati union of Delduar upazila, just around 80 kilometres northwest of Dhaka.

It is home to three entrepreneurs who set up their own brush making factories nearly three decades ago, earning hands-on experience on the trade at the capital's Lalbagh.

The entities employ about 500 people from the village, including 300 women and girls, who earn Tk 150 to Tk 200 a day assembling the tuft of hairs from cow tails and plastic, nylon and metal wires in a variety of factory-made wooden frames.

These earnings, a shift from traditional livelihoods from making earthenware, fishing and as farm hands, empower the women through their contributions to family and personal needs and enable educating their children.

Dhaka-based shops and traders mostly purchase the end products, which have various uses, such as polishing shoes, cleaning coats and toilets, shaving and painting.

But now the factories are struggling to survive due to the lockdowns and declining sales, which have had a trickle-down effect on their employees.

"We cannot sell our brushes. So, my factory has to be kept closed," said Abdul Mannan, one of the three entrepreneurs.

His peer, Ramzan Ali, said, "We couldn't sell old stocks, so we have had to suspend production and send the employees on leave. If there is no work, how can I give work to the people of the village?"

Moreover, Chinese brushes, made from hair out of cow tails from Bangladesh, have grabbed the market the local brushes had with the police department, said Ali.

Every kilogram of the hair cost Tk 60 to Tk 70 four years ago. It now costs Tk 350. The rise in the production cost is one of the causes behind the business downfall, he said.

About 3 lakh shoe brushes are purchased by the police department every year, said Ali.

"As far I know, every Chinese shoe brush was bought for Tk 85 four years back, but ours was only Tk 27," he said.

The Chinese ones had a better finishing for being made with machines, and the hairs also did not loosen that easily, he admitted.

However, if loans were available for the purchase of the machinery, each of which costs Tk 17 lakh to Tk 18 lakh, and if the hair export was barred, the locals can provide brushes of the same quality at Tk 55 to Tk 60, he claimed.

"We request the forces to use our brushes to keep the country's small industry alive," Ali added.

The factory owners allege the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) did not extend any assistance.

Shahnaz Begum, assistant general manager of the BSCIC in Tangail, said she did not know about this situation. "No one from there came to us," she added.