Home ›› 17 Feb 2023 ›› Nation
Gawsia Market in Narayanganj is currently the country’s one of the largest commercial hub for the wholesale trade of fabrics and garments with over 4,000 shops and Tk 2,500 crores of annual sales.
Located in Bhulta union of the district’s Rupganj upazila, Gawsia Market has both wholesale and retail shops that sell all sorts of products. The market was established in 1979 in Bhulta, 24 kilometres east of the capital, along the side of the Dhaka-Sylhet highway.
Gradually over time, the market expanded over 120 bighas of land. Currently, Gawsia-1 and Gawsia-2 markets and another market next to them sell all sorts of wholesale clothes.
On Tuesdays, a special haat (weekly market) is organised where retail shop owners from all over the country come to buy clothes at a wholesale rate. The weekly wholesale haat has been sitting for over three decades around the alleys of the Gawsia market.
Thousands of customers roam around the market searching for their desired products from early morning till late at night. The market is still expanding over a larger area as demand and sales of the products gradually increase.
According to related sources, the market sees a sale of up to Tk 50 crore on Tuesdays. Most of the buyers are young women entrepreneurs. Over 30,000 women make a profit from buying products at a wholesale rate here and selling them online.
While the small retail shops remain open all week, the wholesale shops are only open on Tuesdays for the weekly market. Shoppers gather at the market long before dawn as trade goes on late into the night.
A long queue of van-rickshaws in front of the market is a common scene during the weekly market. A fleet of pick-up vans and trucks also stands nearby for the larger hauls.
Labourers remain busy all day long, hauling bundles of all sorts of clothing items, including saree, lungi, towel, kameez and bed sheets. These days the trades have also expanded to include silk, cotton, linen, wool, and worsted fabric cloths.
During Ramadan, the market sees an upwards spike in the trade as clothes for zakat is also sold here.
Everything from handkerchiefs to jamdani sarees, from hats to fabrics, can be found in this market. Apart from domestic fabrics, foreign-branded fabrics are also available in the market.
Indian Arvind shirt fabrics are sold for Tk 400-700 per piece, Chinese fabrics for Tk 300-400, Chinese Century fabrics for Tk 350, Thai fabrics for Tk 200-400, and gingham fabrics for Tk 200-250 per piece. Also, local garments fabrics are sold for Tk 100 per piece.
Cotton trouser fabrics go for different prices depending on the variety. Indian trouser fabrics are Tk 400, while Chinese fabrics are Tk 350 and Korean fabrics are Tk 300.
Among women’s clothing, boutique three-pieces are available at Tk 200-300, linen at Tk 400, Jaipuri cotton print at Tk 250, georgette at Tk 1,000, silk at Tk 1,100 and net cloth three-piece at Tk 1,300.
Besides, domestic linen is Tk 130 per guz, cotton Tk 150 per guz, cotton poplin Tk 40 per guz, and other types of fabrics are available at Tk 80-150 per guz.
Baburhat market in Narsingdi and Bhulta Gawsia market in Rupganj are known for their expansive textile trade, but the Islampur market in Old Dhaka is slightly more valued by traders across the country due to the variety of cloths.
However, on Tuesdays, Gawsia becomes crowded with traders from different districts including Chattogram, Shariatpur, Faridpur, Khulna, Rajshahi, Barishal, Sylhet, Rangpur, Bogura, Jamalpur, Mymensingh, Pabna, Bhola, Kishoreganj, Manikganj, and Sirajganj.
According to a shop owner of the market, Ashikur Rahman, there are more than 4,500 wholesale cloth shops in Gawsia Market.
“The wholesale shops make a trade of Tk 1-10 lakh during the weekly market. According to that, Tk 40-50 crores worth of trade goes on in this market every Tuesday,” he added.
Meanwhile, the buyers complain that there is no proper accommodation for those who travel from a distance. They have to travel all night and do not get a chance to rest before spending the day shopping in a hurry as the wholesale market only sits for a day.
The buyers also allege that goods are often stolen if they do not remain vigilant. They demand proper accommodation and better security for both sellers and buyers.
Awal Hossain, the manager of the market, told The Business Post the authorities are always keen on facilitating the customers.
“We have a reliable security team of 86 members working round the clock to ensure the customers’ safety. We also have a security team consisting of women to tackle any female thieves stealing goods,” he said.
The manager further said that with more than 4,000 businesses and Tk 2,500 crores in yearly sales, Gawsia Market in Narayanganj is currently the nation’s largest commercial centre for the wholesale trade of fabrics and clothing.
He added that the local police administration is cooperative in this regard and regularly patrols the market area to ensure everyone’s safety and security.
