The government has constituted a high-powered inter-ministerial steering committee aiming to complete the ongoing handloom census successfully, officials said.
Currently, handloom census 2017 is being conducted across the country involving Tk 80 million which will come from the government exchequer, they added.
The main objectives of the census are to observe overall situation of the handloom sector, identify its problems and possibilities, count the people involved with the sector and promote the sector for increasing the production capacity.
Besides, information on handlooms, ownership, demand for handloom products, working and permanent capital and other related info on the sector will be collected under the census.
When asked, a deputy secretary of the Planning Ministry said the steering committee has been formed as per a development project proposal (DPP) for implementation of the project successfully.
The government has taken up the scheme for overall development of the handloom sector. It is now in the process of launching the scheme, a deputy director of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and focal point officer of the proposed census told the FE.
"We have started carrying out handloom census 2017 after 14 years," he mentioned.
There are over 0.88 million handloom workers involved with the sector. Of them, about 0.41 million are female while 0.47 million are male, according to the Planning Commission.
There were over 0.5 million handlooms in the country, according to the handloom census of 2003.
Value addition by the handloom sector to the national economy stands at Tk 12.27 billion. It meets over 40 per cent of domestic textile requirements, accounting for 63 per cent of textile production. The handloom industry meets the demand for saree, lungi, bed sheet and napkin, a BBS source said.
The handloom industry, a major source of earnings for many rural people, is passing through hard time, industry insiders said.
Due to low wage coupled with lack of capital, handloom weavers are now struggling for survival and switching to other professions, they said.
About 0.129 million handlooms were closed down (made inactive) over the last three decades due to fund crisis.
Major handloom products are jamdani, benarasi, Tangail saree, handloom cotton saree, lungi, silk saree, napkin, check fabrics, tribal fashion wear, Monipuri fashion garments, and Rakhine special wear, according to Bangladesh Handloom Board.
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