Paper sales and printing business are booming on the back of forthcoming city corporation election campaign, with traders expecting to ring up as much as Tk 300 million in income.
The traders have got the chance to do brisk business as the elections to the bifurcated Dhaka City Corporations are scheduled to be held on April 28. The election to undivided DCC was held way back in 2002.
"We speculate that the total business will be Tk 300 million," Senior Vice Chairman of Bangladesh Mudran Shilpa Samity Tofayel Khan told the FE.
Printers are getting a small share of the business as colourful publication materials are prohibited.
Mr Khan said printers would have been benefited if colourful printing materials had been allowed. "Black and white publication materials have deprived the printers of the business. Spending on paper items remained the same."
He added: "According to our speculation, paper traders would get the lion's share amounting to Tk 250 million. The remaining amount would go to printers."
Md. Monir Hossain, Director of Bangladesh Paper Merchants Association, said the business in city polls is more than the said amount.
The candidates have made colourful electioneering materials like posters, banners, digital banners, handbills and stickers much before the announcement of the election schedule.
He speculates that the paper traders and printers might have obtained at least Tk 500 million on the occasion of Dhaka city polls.
The Election Commission (EC) on March 18 announced the schedule for the city corporation polls in Dhaka and Chittagong. The councillor and mayoral candidates have been seeking vote much before the announcement of the schedule.
According to the EC, election symbols have been distributed among 19 mayoral candidates for Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) polls. A total of 24 mayoral candidates are vying for the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) polls. Â
Besides, a total of 1,358 councillor candidates are contesting in the polls to the two city corporations.
Fakirapool, the hub of printing press in the city, was seen busy even on the weekend working night and day.
Tofail Khan, managing director of City Art Press Ltd, said big printing presses are not taking orders of election materials as these are less profitable for them. "If they take orders, the large printers are giving subcontracts to mid-size and small printers."
However, he sees the city polls as respite for the printers as the printing business has incurred gross losses in the last three months due to countrywide blockade since January 5.
Paper traders said city polls benefited local paper manufacturers due to Election Commission's regulations.
Printers are to use 50gsm to 70gsm papers from local manufacturers like Bashundhara Paper, Purbachal Paper, Lina Paper, TK Paper, Partex paper and Creative Paper. Â
"Almost all black and white posters were printed on locally produced papers," said Humayun Kabir Dulal, a TK Paper agent in city's Naya Bazar area.
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Printers prosper as poll campaign picks up steam
Ismail Hossain | Published: April 20, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00
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