Villages of artisans

Men and women of almost every house in three villages of Tangail's Delduar upazila have taken up bamboo crafting as their main occupation, turning those villages into cottage industries.

The export of these handicrafts -- made by local artisans of Borni, Kopakhi and Proyogjani villages -- is leading to a boom in this emerging industry and creating more employment opportunities for the locals.

Traditional bamboo handicrafts are environment-friendly and have seen a rise in demand during recent times.

The products include different types of baskets, table lamp shades, mats, trays, wraps, tissue and jewellery boxes, windowsills, and bottle holders.

Nurunnabi, a craftsman from Baropakhia village invested in this trade since 1990 and is leading this initiative along with several other local entrepreneurs.

His factory Nurunnabi Bamboo Craft, established in 2004 in Borni Dakkhinpara village, employs 60-70 workers every day, while around a hundred families of the village work from their homes.

While men in those villages are wholly engaged in craftsmanship, women do the work alongside their domestic chores and earn around Tk 7,000-8,000 a month.

Milton Miah, a worker of the factory, said he has been working there for seven years and currently earns around Tk 15,000-16,000 monthly.

"With the earnings, I can maintain my family and ensure my children's education," he said.

Munia Begum, a craftswoman from Borni village who also works at the factory, said, "I also want to build a small factory someday."

Siraj Miah of the same village, who has been involved in this industry for many years, said, "My children don't want me to work anymore. But I don't want to leave this profession as I am really good at it."

"Earlier, we had to move to different places to sell our products. Now, we can just sell our products to the factory," he added.

People of this area do not sit idle anymore. They have become financially independent by making bamboo crafts, said Nurunnabi.

The  shopping malls in Dhaka are main customers of Nurunnabi's products while the handicrafts are also being exported to about 10-12 countries, he said.

"However, we are struggling to compete in the international market regarding the price and quality of our products. We need advanced tools and machinery to increase production and maintain quality," he said.

Jamil Hussain, extension officer of Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation in Tangail, said several initiatives are being taken to expand the bamboo-cane industry.

"If a person needs a loan, we will arrange it on easy terms," he added.