Five handloom fairs on to attract Eid shoppers

Some stalls at the small cottage industry fair at Agargaon.Photo: STAR

Dhaka city is witnessing a bustling bazaar of handloom and cottage industry products as five big exhibitions are going on to attract the Eid shoppers.
Weavers say the fairs are working as a platform to market their products giving them a chance to get good publicity and introduce the newest products to the customers.
Bangladesh Small Cottage Industry Manufacturers and Business Society has organised a month-long 6th Tant Bastro O Jamdani Mela-2008 on the Shilpakala Academy premises in Segunbagicha with around 180 stalls.
Starting from first of Ramadan with the slogan -- Use local products to save cottage industry' -- the fair is showcasing different traditional handloom products like Jamdani from Sonargaon, Tant from Tangail and Narsingdi, Khadi from Comilla, Nakshikantha from northern districts and some jute products. The fair is also selling handloom products of the ethnic groups living in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
Jatiya Mahila Sangstha under the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs organised a four-day Eid Fair from September 15 near Siddheshwari Girls School at Bailey Road promoting women entrepreneurs of the country.
Another month-long fair on Mirpur National Bangla High School premises is catering to a large segment of Dhaka residents living in Mipur-Pallabi area. Two more small and cottage industries fairs at Agargaon and Khamarbari also attract shoppers.
Puroby Das, general secretary of Women Development Research Centre taking part in Eid Fair at Bailey Road said, “Handloom and cottage industry products lost popularity in the past and people showed more interest in foreign goods. But in recent times handloom is getting back some of its lost glory. It is again becoming popular.”
“A large number of women are involved in cottage industry. This has also created a chance for them to prove their worth,” she added.
At Shilpakala Academy Mohammad Wasim Prodhan, owner of Sadiya Jamdani Weaving Factory from Narayanganj said, “We are basically wholesalers. Handloom fairs are giving us an opportunity to display our products and compare the quality with others' products. We are also getting wholesale orders here.”
“Besides, the weavers are creating new products every day. This is a good place to introduce them. Many stall owners are offering wholesale rate in retail sale just to introduce new products and designs,” he added.
Some of the fairs however are showcasing foreign goods and items other than handloom products in the name of promoting cottage industry.
“The fair mainly highlights handmade items. But the other products are added attraction for the customers,” said a salesman of Sarder Tant in National Bangla School fair.
Organiser of the fair at Shilpakala Academy, Md Shahidul Islam Khan, chairman, Bangladesh Small Cottage Industry Manufacturers and Business Society, said, “Most weavers work with a very small investment. They don't know how to market their products. Fairs are good place to sell and find interested wholesalers.”
“The largest annual sale of the country takes place during Eid. Durga Puja is also nearby. We just want to use the opportunity to sell a good stock and popularise handloom products at the same time,” he added.
“Eid fashion always highlights foreign fabrics like georgette and chiffon. We want to change that impression hoping to establish local products as the fashion statement of Eid,” said Khan.
Handloom industry also has a huge export opportunity. It should be explored by government's support, he noted.
About the sale of readymade garments, foreign jewellery, crockery and other products in the fair, he said, “Not many weavers can afford to come all the way to Dhaka to participate in the fair as they have meagre income. So we had to allocate some of the empty stalls to other producers.”