Tk 300 Million Worth of Loom Machinery Lies Idle, Leaving Kushtia’s Weavers Deprived of Modernisation Benefits

Authorities took steps to modernise the handloom sector at a cost of crores of taka. But small weavers and traders in Kumarkhali, Kushtia, are not getting the benefit. Authorities bought 89 modern machines for about 58 crore 27 lakh taka. Thirty of them lie unused, and their market price is about 30 crore taka. The other 59 are installed, but machines of only one stage are running. Public money is going to waste. Local weavers also lose the benefit of modern technology, so their costs and time rise and they fall behind in the international market.

Sources at the Bangladesh Handloom Board and Khulna Shipyard say the project started in the 2021-22 fiscal year. It planned to install 89 modern machines in four stages: sizing, winding, dyeing and calendering. Khulna Shipyard got the job of buying and installing the machines. The work was due to finish in June 2021 under the contract. But removing old machines, a lack of infrastructure and a shortage of space blocked the work.

At one point, a large part of the new machines lay under the open sky, wrapped in polythene, for nearly a year. Authorities later extended the deadline several times. By December 2024, workers had installed 59 machines. The other 30 are still not handed over.

Assistant General Manager of Kumarkhali Handloom Board Mr. Mehedi Hasan says the contract gave one year for the four stages. Khulna Shipyard took about three years to finish. But among the 59 installed machines, only the calendering machine has had a trial. The contractor left without a trial of the sizing, winding and dyeing machines.

The contract says a six month trial run must follow the handover. The board has tried again and again, but Khulna Shipyard and the contractor do not reply. Without modern printing and processing, weavers cannot meet the demand of the international market. They must take cloth to Dhaka for printing and processing. This raises their cost and labour many times over.

Kumarkhali bedsheets recently won recognition as a Geographical Indication (GI) product. About three and a half thousand weaver families live in this upazila between the Padma and Gorai rivers. Every month they make two and a half to three lakh pieces of bedsheets and towels. They supply local and outside markets.

On Saturday morning, local leaders and workers visited the Kumarkhali Handloom Board area. Among them was District BNP Member Secretary Engineer Mr. Zakir Hossain. After the visit, he said the board has about 80 percent of the machines. But it cannot run them because a few small parts are missing. He promised to contact the offices concerned soon and try to solve the problem.

Local weavers and traders have a demand. They want authorities to install the remaining machines quickly and fix the faulty systems. They also want a trial run of all stages, and then use in production. Otherwise, they say this huge public investment will serve no purpose. Only working machines can cut the cost for small weavers, improve product quality and build strength to compete in the international market.