Weavers working overtime making premium sarees at Benarashi Palli

RANGPUR, July 9: With the holy Eid-ul-Fitr drawing nearer weavers of the Benarashi Palli at Gangachhara upazila in the district are now busy making Benarashi sarees. They are working day and night to meet the demand of customers.
There are more than 400 handlooms at 100 Benarashi factories in the upazila where about 2,500 workers are busy with manufacturing different varieties of sarees which have huge demands in different areas of the country.   
"Sale of sarees produced in the area increases on the occasion of big festivals as the traditional handloom item with different designs and reasonable prices attract the buyers," said Abdur Rahman, owner of a factory at Talukhabu village.
Farida Rahman, owner of Fiyaz Benarasi factory at Habu Tantipara village under the upazila, told The Financial Express, that she has 35 handlooms. The sarees which they make are sold at different rates between Tk 1,400 and Tk 18,000 according to its designs and qualities.  
The creative weavers always introduce something new and come up with fashionable varieties of sarees on the eve of various festivals, she also said. They weave yarn and turn them into different qualities and kinds including 'Nakshi', 'Belbuti' 'Katan' 'Fulkoli' etc which have high demand in different areas of the country, Farida added.
"We get Tk 600 to Tk 800 for making each sarees. At least 4 to 6 days are required to make a saree depending on design and quality", some weavers of Benarasi Palli told the FE. "Earlier we passed days in near starvation but now we have changed our financial condition by weaving Benarasi saree as it has huge demand in the market", they added.
Kashem Mia, owner of a Benarashi factory said, she has 7 handlooms. The demand for sarees has increased a lot ahead of Eid. They are making sarees according to the demand of the buyers during this peak season. Those are supplied to Dhaka and other parts of the country, she also said.
Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) undertook a project to vitalise the industry in the upazila which started in 2009 and continued till 2013, BSCIC sources said.
A total 40 cottage industries have been set up so far for Tk 1,37,00000 which created job opportunities for the poor people of the area, said Altaf Hossain project director of BSCIC Rangpur and Rajshahi region.