Weavers struggling for survival as production falls

Weavers of eye-catching, comfortable and affordable khadi products of Cumilla are struggling for survival as production has declined over the years.

Clothes made by Cumilla Khadi industry are very popular among the people of all classes in the country and abroad.

The original address of Khadi or Khaddar is in Chandina upazila of Cumilla district. Villages like Zafarabad and Nabiabad are famous for Khadi cloth.

In 1994, Khadi industry of Cumilla got international recognition for its quality, said Khadi trader Alauddin.

The Khaddar industry of the district has a strong background. Attractive and new design cloths are produced, which is the symbol of patriotism. It can be said that despite a lot of problems, after liberation in the garments industry, only khaddar sector is surviving on its own without any government or non-government help.

The popularity of this cloth increased during the anti-British movement called by Mahatma Gandhi in 1921. Khadi industry originated at that time based on the slogan “Accept domestic products and reject foreign products”.

Sources said in 1921, Gandhi visited Chandina to inspire the local weavers and this led to the establishment of the Nikihil Bharat Tantubai Samity. This was established to increase the sale of these goods and to export the Khadi to the major cities in India.

Since then, there has been a great demand for khadi or khaddar cloth in this subcontinent.

Dr Akhtar Hamid Khan and Governor Firoz Khan Noon in 1952 established the Khadi and Cottage Industry Association. A Khadi specialist was brought in from India, along with over 400 charkas to train, improve and assist in the production of Khadi.

That khadi is now meeting the demand of the time in fashion. Buyers are interested in buying this cloth for Eid, Puja or various festivals. But a lack of capital, yarn and necessary manpower is making it hard for the old generation to continue and discouraging the young generation from entering the sector.

After visiting Chandina and Debidwar, it was found that only a few spinning wheels were in operation. Many weavers have left the profession of their forefathers having failed to survive the cutthroat competition.

Once, villages of the district were abuzz with sounds of Khadi, or handspun fabric, being woven. But with the changing times, this traditional handloom cloth, spun into yarn on a spinning wheel, is slowly but surely heading towards extinction.

Fearing the worst, the Khadi weavers and traders have been demanding to keep this traditional cloth alive by injecting funds and training the craftsmen.

The weavers and the Khadi traders urged the government to immediately take measures to protect the industry and feared that it may go extinct otherwise. The Khadi craftsmen said the industry can be saved by forming a board or association and organising exhibitions at home and abroad.

The craftsmen must be given proper training. Khadi exhibitions at Bangladesh embassies will help create interest among foreign buyers, said Khadi organiser Prodip Kumar Raha Kanti.

Although this industry survives at present, there is considerable concern about its existence in the near future. The reasons for this are the insufficiency of cotton and limited demand. At present, it is not possible to produce khadi fabric by handloom keeping pace with machine cloth.

Various NGOs and banks are keen to capture the demand for this traditional Khadi cloth and increase the capacity of weavers, moneylenders and traders. In order for the original customers to be able to compete with the new technology and production costs, the weavers and spinners involved in the industry need to be given advanced training, Prodip Kumar Raha Kanti also said.