Owners along with their workers of most of the shoe and other footwear factories at Kaluhati shoe village in the district are passing their busiest days ahead of the forthcoming Eid-ul-Fitr festival.
Sources concerned said consumers' demand for attractive design and good quality products has been doubled this year.
In the village, having pitch carpeting road and situated nearly 30-km away from the Rajshahi city, the factories are seen manufacturing adequate finished products to meet the gradually mounting demands of shoes and other footwear items in the region.
More than 5,000 shoe workers are working in the factories while another 2,000 women laborers are making shoe boxes.
Most of them are working relentlessly to recoup the losses caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly during its worst situation.
The village under Charghat upazila is famous for its footwear products among businessmen from different parts of the country. The village has around 50 shoe factories employing around 6,200 male and female workers.
They supply shoes to most of the districts in the northern region. the factory owners are getting massive responses from all quarters which is a positive sign of furthermore expansion of the business.
Apart from working in the factories, many women have already become small-scale entrepreneurs of manufacturing shoe-packets, bags, key-ring, purse and wallet.
The families are taking advantage of establishing such types of factories with small investment with their family members successfully.
The sources said each of the factories is now functioning round the clock ahead of the Eid. The demand for footwear produced in these factories increased heavily this time in comparison to the past.
Shoe-maker Firoj Ahmed said each of the workers earns at least Taka 12,000 to 15,000 during the Eid season. Abida Sultana, owner of a packet and box factory, said their goods are sold in both wholesale and retail markets. She said, "We receive more orders in the Eid season."
Additional 2,500 labourers remain engaged in various works like designing, sewing, cutting, sole making and painting," said Sohel Rana, general secretary of Kaluhati Shoe Industry Owners Cooperative Limited.
He had started this business with Tk 20,000 around twenty years back and his capital investment is around Tk 25 lakh at present.
He has been supplying finished goods to Aarong and some other posh shops in Dhaka at present.
Abdul Mannan, president of the association, said their business is facing competition due to the imported footwear. He also said the shoes and sandals manufactured in the village have earned fame throughout the country.
"We are supplying products of at least 40 designs to most of the districts in Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions and some districts in Khulna division also at present," he added.
He mentioned that State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam, MP, had taken some time-fitting steps to take the industrial sector forward in 2014.
With his initiative, Dhaka Bank Limited provided a loan of Taka one crore in the same year. Last year, the bank also provided another loan of Taka five crore through SME Foundation that has now been adjudged as the turning point for the industry owners.
In reality, the shoe village has been contributing a lot towards vibrating the socio-economic condition of the surrounding areas together with empowering the women' concerned either directly or indirectly, Abdul Mannan added.
Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha