Handloom industry collapses in Pabna and Sirajganj, hundreds of thousands of workers jobless

The handloom industry in Pabna and Sirajganj has a long tradition. As the industry expanded it became the source of livelihood for nearly 1.5 million people. The clattering sound of looms can be heard across the two districts. But that sound is gradually fading. The entire industry has come to a standstill under the combined pressure of frequent load shedding, high prices of yarn and dyes and rising fuel prices. Many power looms and Chittaranjan semi-automatic looms have shut down amid losses. As a result, hundreds of thousands of small-scale weavers and workers have lost their jobs.

According to data from local basic centers of the Bangladesh Handloom Board Pabna and Sirajganj are among the country’s largest handloom hubs. The two districts have around 450,000 power looms and Chittaranjan looms. The livelihoods of 1.2 million to 1.5 million people depend on them. Sarees and lungis produced in the region met much of the domestic demand and were also exported.

However, the situation has changed completely in recent times. Production has been disrupted by the power crisis and manufacturers are not getting the desired prices for their products in the market. As a result, factory owners are being forced to shut down their factories. According to local weavers’ associations 200,000 to 250,000 of the total 450,000 looms in the two districts, or 50 to 60 percent, are completely closed or partially inactive.

Handloom industry owners said each power loom requires an average of three to four workers for yarn production, dyeing, drying, winding yarn onto bobbins and weaving fabric. Overall, the livelihoods of millions of people directly and indirectly depend on this sector. But frequent load shedding and losses have forced factories to remain closed.

“Twenty-five to 30 thousand factories have already closed due to the three-way crisis. Those that are still operating cannot run for more than four to five hours a day because of load shedding. As a result, around 175,000 to 200,000 handloom workers in the two districts are currently unemployed after losing work opportunities. With their sources of income gone many are being forced to take up alternative jobs such as driving rickshaws and vans or working as day laborers,” officials of the Bangladesh Handloom Board and local weavers’ associations said.

Pabna’s Kulunia village handloom owners Syed Ali and Abu Jafar of Dogachi village said they have no choice but to run generators when electricity remains unavailable for hours. However, due to a shortage of diesel in the market and its high price they have to spend an additional around Tk 1,500 every day to run generators for four to five hours. The cost is directly added to their losses. As a result, the production cost of fabric has risen abnormally.