Seasonal boat sales enjoy tailwind in Sirajganj

The Friday boat market at Koijury Haat of Shahjadpur upazila in Sirajganj becomes abuzz with sellers and buyers as the traditional country boats serve as a convenient transport in the northern riverine region during monsoon.

The traders exhibit the boats of small, medium and big sizes on Koijury Madrasa ground. Besides these, other tools used for boats are also displayed and sold in the market. The trading goes on in full swing as monsoon peaks when boats are the only means of transportation in the area crisscrossed by rivers.

This year boats are being sold between Tk 4,000 and Tk 15,000 based on the quality of timber used and sizes. Though the traditional boats such as “Kosha”, “Bajra”, and “Goyna” have disappeared from the area, dinghy boats remained popular in these seasonal haats.

Hundreds of carpenters and boat makers build mainly pinis, dinghy and naak golui varieties of boat and bring to the weekly market stretching about two kilometres. The shipwrights or boat makers said commonly used timbers for building boats are from locally available koroi, rain tree, jarul, shal, sundari, mahogany, and teak trees.

Salam Miah, a buyer at the haat, told The Business Post that Sirajganj is situated near the vast stretch of River Jamuna, so every year during the monsoon, a large part of the area — such as Shahzadpur, Chauhali, Kazipur, Sadar and Belkuchi upazilas — goes underwater; therefore the demand for boats in these areas ramps up.

“My house has been waterlogged for the last two weeks, and it happens every year during the monsoon. I should have come here earlier to buy a boat,” he said.

Moni Bepari, a trader at the haat, said they are having a good sale in this season. But at other times of the year, they sit idle with a minimal sale.

Another boat trader, Korban Ali told The Business Post that boat-making is his ancestral profession, and he learned the craft from his father.

“My father used to sell a 10-ft boat for Tk 600 to Tk 700 in the past, but with passage of time, the prices have gone up, and so is the demand,” he said.

Komal Sutradhar, a carpenter of the area, told The Business Post that they make 5 to 6 boats per week and come to the market to sell these every Friday.

“Due to the increased prices of raw materials and high manufacturing cost, we make less profit than we used to,” added the carpenter.

“We are seeing a price hike of boats because the manufacturing cost has increased. For each boat, we pay Tk 700 to its’ carpenter, but we are getting a good sale this year,” said Aslam Sheikh, owner of a boat making factory.

Addressing the issue, Union Parishad Chairman of Koijuri Md Saiful Islam, said, “This is one of the busiest seasons for the boat traders, and I heard they are making a good profit this year.”