Barisal potters’ future looks bleak

The four villages of Maheshpur Paul Para in Niamati union of Barisal's Bakerganj upazila have a long association with clay. For centuries the area has been home to potters and with around two hundred families still engaged in the traditional industry, Maheshpur Paul Para retains its distinction as the primary hub for earthenware in Barisal. But due to competition from mass produced vessels of other materials including aluminium, melamine and especially plastic, demand for clay items is in decline. It leaves local potters facing hard times.

“For two hundred years pottery was the livelihood of my ancestors,” says one local, Santi Paul, 80. “Currently all the eight members of my family still work in producing clay products. But no longer can we realise the true value of our goods in the market.”

“Not many people use clay containers anymore,” says a relative, Ripon Paul. “Sales are limited.”

“I have a physically-challenged daughter to support,” adds Sabitri Paul, 35. “Increasingly it's difficult to afford her ongoing treatment from the income we generate from pottery sales.”

Another potter, Nikhil Paul, 40, echoes such concerns. “Pottery is not selling well,” he says.

“Demand is decreasing to the point where I have decided to pursue some other business to support my family.”

Pots, tubs, jars, jugs and other wares: all fetch only minimal market prices nowadays. “Clay and labour costs are not insignificant,” says another artisan, Rudra Paul. “But a clay tub will only sell for Tk 10. The retail price for most items is similarly cheap and it's difficult to recover costs.”

An average potter can make around 1,000 pots per month, an output that will realise sales of about Tk 10,000 “After costs, if all products sell, even then we earn a very meagre income.”

“The products from Maheshpur Paul Para are very traditional in design,” notes the deputy general manager of the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation for Barisal. “Such designs are not very attractive to customers anymore. What the potters need is a modern concept to catch the market's interest. But at the current time we have no project to help them develop their technical skills.”

“We want to save the profession of our forefathers,” says Santi Paul despondently, “It seems quite impossible.”