JOYPURHAT, July 10: Over 1050 extreme poor people of some 300 families depend on hand fan business round the year in Joypurhat district from last few years.
The demand of the fan is increasing alarmingly due to raising temperature in the area from the first week of June and it will continue till September, said eyewitness of the district.
They remain busy to make the fan item and selling them to the customers from May to September. But, other time of the years they do agricultural affairs work to manage the family expenditure.
The fan artisans collect the plum leaf from the different villages with Tk 20 to 25 to pay each big leaf. They can produce average 5 to 10 hand fan with each leaf and sell them after making different colour according to the choice of the customers.
She prepares hand fan with her two family members from the very early in the May to late October," said artisan Tumiza Begum, 65, under Akkelpur upazila of the district adding that she sells them moving from door to door with Tk 30 to 35.
Some wholesalers from the adjacent Bogura district visit the fan artisan's house and advanced Tk 5000 to 1000 for preparing quality hand fan. It is used in the remote villages as they have not yet get electricity connection at all.
Meanwhile, the artisans suffer much due to shortage of adequate capital scarcity to run the business well. If they have been provided capital, they would be able to expand the business. They artisans sometimes take loan from NOGs in a high rate interest.
President of small cottage Tonu Hossain said both the male and female artisans are seen engaged with the profession in Akkelpur, Kalai, Pachbibi, Khetlal and Sadar upazilas. They make over 0.2 million hand fans every year and earn Tk 4.0 million, he added.
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