Home ›› 07 Oct 2021 ›› Front
The musical instrument market is growing in the country, but local instrument makers are losing business to imported products as those come with better quality and more durability.
Customers are choosing foreign instruments over local ones not only because of quality and durability but also for aesthetic designs.
The domestic musical instrument market is now worth Tk 100 crore where local manufacturers contribute only 30 per cent while imports account for the remaining 70 per cent, said industry insiders.
They said the market is growing by 10 per cent annually.
According to the National Board of Revenue data, Bangladesh imported musical instruments worth Tk 7.11 crore in the fiscal year 2016-17, Tk 6.22 crore in FY18, Tk 7.04 crore in FY19, Tk 6.05 crore in FY20, and Tk 7.97 crore in FY21.
Nearly 20,000 people earn their livelihoods by making and selling traditional musical instruments across the country, including Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet, Narayanganj, Barishal, Rangpur, and Dinajpur. They are now suffering due to the increased demand for imported instruments.
Many have left the profession and some have laid off workers while some are selling imported instruments alongside local ones to survive.
Local instruments dominated the market two decades ago, riding on the popularity of the country’s traditional folk culture. But their heyday is gone as products imported from China, India, Indonesia, Japan, America, the UK, Australia, and many other countries now meet a significant part of the market demand.
One of the reasons is that people mostly used to play traditional instruments to practice folk songs. But youngsters are now increasingly fond of Western music while traditional folk music – Jari, Sari, Bhawaiya, Bhatiali, and Pala – is losing steam.
Besides, musicians having formal training are using foreign instruments to remake traditional local songs, leading to greater demand for imported instruments.
Moreover, the recent increased interest in electronic musical instruments and their use in remaking traditional music have caused a decline in the popularity of local instruments.
Imported instruments in huge demand
Yamaha Music Bangladesh, a concern of ACI Motors, is the biggest importer of instruments in the country. Nearly 40 other organisations also import instruments.
Partha Pratim, a service engineer at Yamaha Music, said they import instruments from eight countries, including China and Japan.
“Our latest imports amounted to Tk 14 crore. Guitar, piano, and keyboard are our top-selling products. The demand for imported instruments that we sell is rising,” he told The Business Post.
Mitu Khandakar, a private job holder living in the capital’s Science Laboratory area, said she purchases imported instruments for their high-quality sound, something local ones cannot produce.
“Foreign products are also aesthetic and durable. That is why I prefer those,” she said.
She further said she had bought a locally made guitar last year, but the sound was of low quality.
“I recently bought an imported guitar that provides high-quality sound. Why should I then choose local products?”
Ali Rezowan, an importer and proprietor of Music Zone at Science Laboratory, told The Business Post the demand for foreign instruments had risen even during the pandemic as people had mostly stayed home due to lockdowns and had played instruments.
He said his business was growing by 10 per cent annually.
“We can sell five Indian guitars and four Chinese ones every day as opposed to only one local guitar. There are even days when we cannot sell any local instrument,” he said. He added that imported guitars, keyboards, and ukuleles were in high demand recently.
Customers mostly prefer imported harmoniums and guitars to local ones, said businesses.
Local instruments fail to ensure quality
Customers say they do not buy local instruments due to poor quality and design. But manufacturers say customers are addicted to foreign brands and are also ready to pay more for those.
Shakil Hossain, a higher secondary student in Sirajganj, said local instruments could be broken easily while imported ones were durable.
“We will choose local products if they come with the same quality as foreign ones,” he said.
Manik Sarker of Shilpi Niketon in Shankhari Bazar said customers do not want to pay fair prices for local products.
“We are ready to supply quality products if we get fair prices,” he added.
Selling imported products for survival
Shankhari Bazar, a hub of local instruments, has nearly 14 stores. They used to supply local products across the country, but demand is now on the decline.
Gopal Chandra Das of New Badya Bhandar said business was good 20 years ago when their factory had 12 workers. Now they have only two employees.
“We now display imported instruments in the store alongside local ones to survive,” he said.
He further said tanpura and violin makers had become almost extinct in the country. “Besides, different types of electronic instruments have taken over these traditional devices.”
Shilpi Niketon’s Manik said sales used to rise during Puja and Pahela Baishakh in the past.
“But folk cultural programmes are disappearing in villages, and DJ parties are now the trend. This has seriously affected our business,” he said.
He also said they used to sell only local instruments before.
“Due to public demand, now we also have to display imported products in our store,” he added.
How local instruments are surviving
Despite the crisis, local instruments are surviving because of music lovers who want to learn subcontinental classical music.
Some local manufacturers say they feel no pressure due to the increased demand for imported instruments because those who want to learn local music will buy tabor, tambourine, harmonium, flute, sarod, shehnai, sitar, etc.
They also say local instruments are much cheaper, a key feature to attract buyers.
Sunil Kumar Mondol, the proprietor of Jatin and Co, the oldest musical instrument store in Shankhari Bazar established in 1910, said 70 per cent of instruments sold in the 14 shops in Shankhari Bazar is made locally.
“Local harmonium, tabor, dotara, and flute are our top-selling products. We now display imported products as well, but their increased sales are not a cause for concern for us as people must come to us to buy instruments needed to learn classical music,” he added.
Jhorna Yesmin, a homemaker living at Elephant Road, purchased a harmonium from Shankhari Bazar. She said she would teach her son folk music and wants him to build a well-established career in the music sector.
“Trainers suggested my son start with a harmonium.”
Dr Debproshad Dawn, an associate professor of music at the University of Dhaka, said it is a matter of sorrow that local instruments are on the wane.
“We can use local instruments to do what we do with foreign instruments. To protect our traditional folk culture, we must focus on using local instruments,” Dawn added.
