Government to set up ‘Dhaka Muslin House’

The government would set up ‘Dhaka Muslin House’ to bring back the lost glory of Dhakai Muslin and move into commercial production, Textiles and Jute Minister Golam Dastagir Gazi said on Saturday.

He made the announcement at a function celebrating National Textiles Day 2021 in Dhaka, where seven organisations were awarded for their roles in protecting the textiles sector during the pandemic.

After 173 years, the Bangladesh Weaving Board has succeeded in bringing back Dhaka Muslin, once the most valuable fabric on earth.

A Muslin saree requires 140 to 150 grams of yarn. The pristine form of the high-brow cloth weighed around 200g.

Sources said the refinement of the would-be Muslin cloth is even finer than what was evident and what has gone into oblivion. In the then period, the Dhakai Muslin used to be woven with a special category of yarn called 500-metric count – length of fibre. In the modern era, 731-metric count is being used to produce Muslin which will be much finer than its earlier peer. Researchers are trying to increase the sustainability of the thread.

A source told The Business Post that interested companies would be allowed to go into commercial production by the end of 2022. The government will select one or more institutions after verification.

Meanwhile, at Saturday’s programme, Gazi handed over crests to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, Bangladesh Textile Mills Association, Bangladesh Garment Buying House Association, Bangladesh Specialized Textile Mills & Powerloom Industries Association, Bangladesh Terry Towel & Linen Manufacturers and Exporters Association, and Bangladesh National Weavers Association.

“The government will continue to support the textiles sector to face the fourth industrial revolution. We will set up more vocational and textile institutes to meet the demand of human resource in the textiles industry,” Gazi said.

“Thanks to the government’s incentive, the textile sector has been able to weather the pandemic shock,” he added.

Gazi said the government is trying to modernise this sector and take initiatives to boost export earnings.