Rabindra Journal

ISSN 2477-1714
Volume 03, Number, 01, September 2012

AN ANALYSIS OF PRESENT SCENARIO OF HANDLOOM WEAVING INDUSTRY

IN BANGLADESH

Md. Khairul Islam1

Md. Elias Hossain2

Abstract
The handloom weaving industry is one of the ancient cottage industries in
Bangladesh. Next to agriculture, it is the second largest sources of rural employment
and income. The present study is an effort to investigate the present scenario of
handloom weaving industries in Bangladesh. The study is based on secondary data.
The data used in this study were collected from different sources such as books,
reports, journal articles, newspaper and online sources. Collected data have been
analyzed through tabular, graphical and statistical method. The study found that in
Bangladesh there are about 183512 handlooms weaving units with about 505556
looms. The total operational looms are 311851, which are 61.7 percent of total
looms, and the rest 193705 looms are non-operational. The study also found that
handloom weaving industry is a promising sector to provide rural employment in the
perspective of Bangladesh. Handloom sector is contributing to generation rural
employment and income increase, alleviating rural poverty, substituting imports, and
increasing potentials for exports. Another important finding is that this sector
provides employment for the women labor force at family environment. At present, a
significant portion of local demand for fabric is met-up by handloom industries.
Therefore, government should take proper care for the development of the handloom
industries.

Keywords: Handloom, Cottage industry, Present scenario, Bangladesh

1. Introduction
The handloom industry is the largest cottage industry in Bangladesh and traditionally, it is the largest
rural industry in our country. It has an important role to play in the face of growing unemployment in
our country. The industry has high significance in the rural development. Despite many problems, this
rural industry is playing a dominant role in the country’s rural economy. Like agriculture, the
handloom industry use traditional technology. However, it supplies about four-fifths of the country’s
principal non-food consumption goods, cloth. Handloom industry produces certain products of finer
quality that suit the tastes and fashions of the people, which cannot be produced by a modern textile
mill. For example, handloom units producing fine saree, lungi, gamcha, and chaddar, enjoy ready
market since majority of the consumers buy such products. This sector has a large number of
energetic entrepreneurs who have the substantive inner qualities of business leadership, hard worker
and probably thrift. The government at present has given much emphasis on the development of this
industry.

1
Researcher, Department of Economics, Rajshahi University-6205, Bangladesh
2
Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Rajshahi University-6205, Bangladesh
 2 Rabindra Journal, Volume 03, Number, 01

2. Handloom and its History in Bangladesh

Handloom is a machine or device, which is made of wood and of iron (some portion) and used to
produce woven fabric. Handloom is generally run without any electrical motor, it is run by man’s
hand and foot combination. Handloom weaving goes back as early as the 17th century, when this
sector was an efficient sector and played important role in economic activities of the Indian
subcontinent. The manufactures of this industry as ‘Muslins’ was highly acclaimed thought the world
because of its singular beauty and high qualified variety. The muslin of Dacca was favorite cloths to
the aristocracy including kings, queens, and emperors. As late as 1972 Henry Patllo remarked that the
demand for “Bengal’s textile manufacturers could never reduced because no other nation on the globe
could either equal or rival their quality’’ (Mitra, 1978). However, from 1793 the exports of Bengal
cotton-goods started to decline. This gradual decline of the demand for Bengal cotton - goods,
resulted in the decline of the industry. There were some reasons behind it. Mainly, this was partly
because of British commercial policy and the Industrial Revolution in England. Then England
followed a selfish commercial policy, which was characterized by protective measure against Bengal
piece goods. Between 1799 and 1824, exports from Bengal to England were subjected to a duty of 44
to 85 percent in 1833. The most important reason for the decline of the handloom industries was
Industrial Revolution in England. The Bengal handicrafts could not withstand the foreign competition,
which derived its strength from large machinery, large-scale production, complex division of labor
etc. Thus, the main challenge came from the impact of Industrial Revolution. During the Pakistan
period, the Pakistan Government allowed import of yarn on open general license and abolished sales
tax on handloom products, which led to a tremendous growth of the industry in the early 1950s. After
independence, Bangladesh Government set up a new Handloom Board in 1978, which took over the
development of the handloom industry from the Small, and Cottage Industries Corporation. Since, its
formation, the Handloom Board has taken some policy measures to develop the industry. Handloom is
considered as a priority sector for development because of some of its characteristics such as labor
intensity, female employment, product demand and profitability.

3. Literature Review

Extended studies have been done on different aspects and issues of handloom weaving industries.
Several studies have been conducted on handloom industries in the context of employment
generation. Ahmed (1999) in his article attempted to present the socio-economic aspects of
employment generation in the handloom industry and its importance in the national economy of
Bangladesh. Sobhan (1989) sought the development of handloom industry in social context. The
discussion indentified the importance of the industry in meeting the clothing needs of the people of
the country. Raihan (2010) showed how rural poverty in Bangladesh could be reduced through
developing the handloom industry. He also found that now the industry is on the decline due to a
number of factors including lack of education and skill, absence of organization of the weavers and
smuggling of cloth from India. Latif (1989) did a statistical exercise for estimating cloth supplies in
Bangladesh during the period 1955/56-1986/87. He estimated the supplies of cloth by taking into
account domestic production and imports. Ghosh (2005) indentified those predominant factors that are
moving the wheels of handloom industry slowly. They found that shortage of working capital, high
 3 Rabindra Journal, Volume 03, Number, 01

cost of raw material procurement, lack of organizing capability, inadequate technology and efficiency,
lack of policy support and major forces, which are bitterly, hit the handloom industry.

4. Methodology

The study is based on secondary data. The required data have been collected from secondary sources
such as books, reports, journal articles, publication, newspaper and online sources. The collected data
have been analyzed through tabular, graphical and statistical method.

5. Types of Handloom

There are two types of looms namely, handloom and power loom according to operational practice. A
loom may be operated manually or mechanically. Normally handlooms are those, which are manually
operated, and as such, these are distinct from power looms, which are operated by power. The
Bangladesh Handloom Board (BHB) ordinance, 1977 defines ‘handloom’ as a ‘weaving device
operated manually for production of fabrics other than hundred percent silk or artsilk’. There are
several types of handloom in Bangladesh. Such as: a. Pitlloom, b. Power loom, c. Chattarranjan
Loom, d. Benarosy and Jamdani Loom, e. Kamer / Waist Loom Among all types of loom Benarosy
looms are concentrated in Mirpur area, Dhaka, the Jamdani looms are specially operated in Rupgang
(Taraboo) area of Narayangang District and Kamer / Waist loom is found in the Hill Tracts of
Chittagong.

6. Input and Output Characteristics of Handloom Industry

According to the Handloom Census of 1978, the handloom industry uses 94.5 percent cotton yarn and
4.5 percent is composed of cellulose, synthetic and other types. In recent years, synthetic yarn is
becoming popular among the handloom weavers, as it yields better productivity. Synthetic yarn
affected the handloom industry. According to the Handloom Census, handloom consumes about 71
percent of medium quality yarn, and about 15 and 7 percent of coarser and fine qualities respectively.
It also appears that Dhaka, Chittagong and Khulna divisions mainly specialize in medium quality
fabric, while Rajshahi (in North Bengal) produces finer quality fabric. The yarn produced
domestically is not sufficient to meet the demand of the handloom sector, so the shortfall in supply
has to be met through imports. In 1985, about 30 percent of handloom yarn consumption was met
through import. Handloom produces saree, lungi, gamcha, chaddar and some other types of cloth.
The products of handloom industries in Divisions and Bangladesh are shown below table.

Table 1: Product Mix of the Handloom Industry (In percentage)

Division Saree Lungi Gamcha Chaddar Others Total
Dhaka 55.01 23.09 6.45 1.37 14.08 100
Rajshahi 72.43 10.9 9.84 6.74 - 100
Chittagong 4.5 82.94 2.84 3.74 5.98 100
Khulna 28.62 33.62 28.07 1.0 8.69 100
Bangladesh 47.61 31.22 8.77 1.5 10.89 100
Source: Handloom Census-2003
 4 Rabindra Journal, Volume 03, Number, 01

Table 1 shows the product-mix of the handloom sector in Bangladesh. From the above table, it is
found that the product-mix varies according to the location. For example, Rajshahi Division
specializes in sarees. It produces 72.43 % saree and 10.9 % lungi Whereas, Chittagong is well known
for lungis and it produces 82.94 % lungi. Dhaka district produce 55.01% saree and 23.09 % lungi and
Khulna Division produces 28.62% saree, 33.62 % lungi and 28.07 % gamsa. It means that this
Division specializes in saree, lungi and gamsa.

7. Institutional Support for the Handloom Industry

The handloom weavers receive institutional supports mainly from cooperative associations and the
Bangladesh Handloom Board (BHB). About 79 percent of the weavers in Bangladesh operate within
the framework of cooperative Industrial Unions at district, sub division or thana levels, which are
organized at the national level by the Jatiya Samabay Samity Ltd. (BJSS). The Handloom Census
1978 reveals that just above 2 percent weavers enjoy any service from these societies.
Bangladesh Handloom Board (BHB) was established in 1977 as a statutory public sector organization
under the administrative control of Ministry of Textiles and Jute. The board has been entrusted with
the responsibility for overall development of the handloom sector of the country and to make welfare
of the people engaged therein. Since its inception, the board has been functioning with some broad
objectives. Those are: development, promotion and extension of handloom sector, creation of
backward and forward linkages for the textile sector, employment generation and alleviation of
poverty, boost up export of handloom products, improve standard of living of the handloom weavers
etc. Major functions that are performing by Bangladesh Handloom Board in achieving those
objectives are undertaking survey, census and planning for rational growth of handloom industry,
maintaining statistics relating to handloom industry, promoting handloom industry primarily with the
help of weaver’s societies, rendering promotional and advisory services to units of handloom industry,
arranging credit facilities for handloom industry, providing training facilities and promoting research,
preparing and implementing common facility schemes, making arrangement for supply of yarn the
weavers at reasonable price primarily through weavers society, making arrangement for supply of
consumables like dyes, chemicals, spares and accessories to the weavers primarily through weavers
societies etc.

8. Problems of Handloom Industry

Handloom industry has been recognized as the prominent industry and it has been called the backbone
of our agricultural economy. It can be recognized as the mainstay of the weaving industry for supply
of bulk of the domestic cloth requirements. However, this industry has some inherent problems.
These are inadequate supply of yarn and dyes, high price of raw materials, lack of institutional credit,
marketing problem, unfair competition, lake of efforts for improvement, lack of product
diversification and organizational Problem. Due to these problems, many handloom units are
remaining non-operational at present. Bangladesh Handloom Census-2003 identified the reasons for
non-operation of looms. That reasons have been presented in Table 2.
 5 Rabindra Journal, Volume 03, Number, 01

Table 2: Reasons for Non-operation of Looms

Reasons for non-operation Frequency, Percentage, Frequency, Percentage,
of loom 2003 2003 1990 1990
Lack of capital 75511 79 123597 80
Lack of yarn 11566 12 12284 8
Labor problem 1865 2 2334 2
Sale problem 4931 5 5860 4
Others 1509 2 10220 6
Total reporting units 95382 100 154295 10
Source: Handloom Census, 2003
From the Table 2, it is observed that about 80% reporting establishments with idle looms opined that
they cannot put their looms in operation as because of the lack of capital, 12 % in 2003 reported that
lack of yarn cause their looms to fall idle. Another 5 % reported that marketing problem goes in the
way of utilization of looms.

9. Present Scenario of Handloom Industry

Handloom sector in Bangladesh consists of more than 0.183 million handloom units with 0.505
million handlooms and about 1 million weavers of which about 50 per cent are female worker. Out of
total 505556 handlooms in Bangladesh, only 313245 are in operation now and the rest 192311 are
non-operational. The Handloom Census conducted in May 2003 enumerated that the average number
of looms per unit is 2.83 as compared to 2.4 in the Handloom Census, 1990.

9.1. Number of Looms in Different Years in Bangladesh

Data regarding units and looms in the industry have been found very little in quantity or amount.
Historically, there was hardly any organized attempted to assess the situation of the industry. The
figures that could be traced from various sources are as follows:

Table 3: Number of Looms in Different Years

Year Source No. of looms
1941 Textile Commissioner of India 85478
1951 Population Census-1951 183251
1953 Director of Industries 250000
1956 Fact Finding Committee 380990
1974 Bangladesh Jatya Samabaya Shilpa Samiti Ltd. 428000
1978 Bangladesh Handloom Board (BHB) 437015
1987 Bangladesh Institute of development studies (BIDS) 425310
1990 Bangladesh Bureau of Statistic (BBS) 514456
2003 Bangladesh Bureau of Statistic (BBS) 505556

Thus, it is clear from the above table that number of handlooms continuously increased from 85478 to
5 05556 during the period 1941 to 2003.

Chittagong hill tract region is also famous for handlooms manufacturing, where the tribal people
mostly take weaving as their additional source of earning. For Chittagong Hill Tract districts, the
available estimates of looms are given in Table 4.
 6 Rabindra Journal, Volume 03, Number, 01

Table 4: Number of Looms in Chittagong Hill Tract Region

Year Source No. of looms
1953 The Director of civil supplies 59500
1956 Handloom survey of 1956 5200

9.2 Handloom Capacity in Bangladesh

After independence, the handloom Board undertook a comprehensive survey in 1978 which provided
certain essential information on the structure and characteristics of the industry. Then the census took
place in 1990 and in 2003. The Handloom Census of 2003 established the total installed handloom
capacity at about 505556 of which 311851 were in operation and 192311 were idle at the time.

9.2.1 Distribution of Establishments and Looms by Currently Operational Status

The following table describes the distribution of operational and non-operational looms division wise.
Table 5: Distribution of Operational Establishments and Looms
Division Total Total Operational Status
units Looms Operational percent Non-operational Percent
Barisal 2311 4741 1589 35.5 3152 66.5
Chittagong 92095 156829 73988 47.2 82841 52.8
Dhaka 30558 105467 71015 67.3 34452 32.7
Khulna 23379 37855 26038 68.8 11817 31.2
Rajshahi 32968 195749 35668 69.3 60081 30.7
Sylhet 3201 4915 3553 72.3 1362 27.7
Bangladesh 183512 505556 311851 61.7 193705 38.3
Source: Handloom Census, 2003

It is observed from Table 5 that 61.7 percent looms were operational and 24.3 percent looms were
non-operational in Bangladesh in 2003. The highest numbers of operational looms 135668 about 69.3
percent were in Rajshahi Division. The second highest operational looms were 73988 in Chittagong
Division. However, they are only 47.2 percent followed by 71015 operational looms about 67.3
percent in Dhaka Division. In Khulna, Barisal, and Sylhet the operational looms were 26038, 1589,
3553.

9.2.2 Percentage Distribution of Establishment and Looms by Operational Status

Table 6 describes the percentage distribution of establishments and looms according to its operational
status. It shows the distribution of looms of six Divisions of Bangladesh.
Table 6: Percentage Distribution of Establishments and Looms
Division Total units Total looms Operational Status
Operational Non-operational
Barisal 1.3 0.9 0.5 0.3
Chittagong 50.2 31.0 23.7 46.2
Dhaka 16.6 20.9 22.8 17.0
Khulna 12.2 7.5 8.4 4.0
Rajshahi 18.0 38.7 43.5 31.9
Sylhet 1.7 1.00 1.1 0.6
Bangladesh 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Source: Handloom Census, 2003
 7 Rabindra Journal, Volume 03, Number, 01

Traditionally, Chittagong Division is well known for handloom industry. In 2003, Chittagong
Division accounts for about 50 percent of total establishments, 31.0 percent currently looms.
Currently, Rajshahi Division by exceeded Chittagong Division in terms of looms and operation in
which in 2003 it accounts for about 18 percent of total establishments but 38 percent of looms, 43.5
percent operational looms currently and 43.6 percent annually. The percentage distributions of looms
are shown with the help of figure in below.

Figure 1: Percentage Distribution of Operational and Non-operational Loom

The above figure shows the percentage distribution of operational and non-operational looms in six
divisions of Bangladesh. From the figure, it is found that Barisal Division accounts for highest
percentage of operational looms and Chittagong Division accounts for highest percentage of non-
operational looms.

9.2.3 Distribution of Looms by Type

There are mainly six types of looms in Bangladesh. They are pit loom, frame loom, Chittarangan
loom, Banarasi or Jamdani loom, Komar or waist loom and power loom in Bangladesh. The
distribution of total looms and operational looms by type are shown below Table 7.

Table 7: Distribution of Looms by Type

Type of Looms Total looms Operational Percent
Pit Loom 169700 107066 63.1
Frame Loom 2212 18410 63.0
Chittarangan Loom 150407 105410 70.1
Banarasi/Jamdani Loom 12383 9997 80.7
Komar/waist Loom 141684 69588 49.1
Power loom 2170 1380 63.6
Total Loom 505556 311851 61.6
Source: Handloom Census, 2003

From Table 7, it is observed that there were 107066, 18410, 105410, 9997, 69588, and 1380
operational Pitlooms, Frame looms, Chittarangan looms, Banarasi/Jamdani looms, Komar/waist
looms, and Power looms in 2003 in Bangladesh. Banarasi and Jamdani looms have the highest
utilization by about 80.7 percent, followed by Chittarnjan 70.1 percent in 2003. The lowest utilization
of loom is the Komarr/waist type with 49.1 percent.
 8 Rabindra Journal, Volume 03, Number, 01

Figure 2: Distribution of Looms by Type

The figure shows the distribution of handloom weaving industries by type of Bangladesh.

9.2.4 Reasons for Non-operational Looms by Division

There are many reasons behind non-operation of handlooms in Bangladesh. Among all problems lack
of capital, lack of yarn, sale problem and labor problem are the main problems. The reasons for non-
operation of looms are shown in Table 8.

Table 8: Reasons for Non-operational Looms by Division

Lack of capital Lack of yarn Sale problem Labor Others
problem
2003 % 2003 % 2003 % 2003 % 2003 %
Barisal 1502 84.3 222 12.3 62 3.4 16 0.9 - -
Chittagong 37436 58.8 4342 9.9 1354 3.1 331 0.8 175 0.4
Dhaka 11925 76.7 2304 14.8 914 5.9 238 1.5 176 1.1
Khulna 7859 67.4 2258 19.4 1004 8.6 465 4.0 75 0.6
Rajshahi 16016 74.9 2186 10.2 1407 6.6 762 3.6 1008 4.7
Sylhet 773 57.5 254 18.9 190 14.1 53 3.9 75 5.6
Bangladesh 75511 79.2 11566 12.1 4931 5.2 1865 1.9 1509 1.6
Source: Handloom Census, 2003

From Table 8, it is found that by Division most establishments about 85.8 % in Chittagong Division
and the least establishments 57.5 % in Sylhet Division report lack of capital cause fall the loom idle.
In Dhaka and Rajshahi Division, about 76.7% and 74.9% reporting establishments report lack of
capital is the reason for their idle looms. About 19.4% establishments in Khulna Division report lack
of yarn as its problem. Only a few establishments between 3.1 % and 14.1% report marketing
problem. Another few establishments ranking from 0.9%-3.9% report labor problem is a reason for
non operation of looms.

9.2.5 Handloom Concentrated Districts

Handloom industry did not develop equally in all regions of Bangladesh. This industry is
concentrated historically in some regions with availability of inputs, marketing and transportation
facilities. The following table describes the concentrated areas of handloom weaving industries in
Bangladesh.
 9 Rabindra Journal, Volume 03, Number, 01

Table 9: Ranking of Districts by Handloom

District 2003
Establishments Looms Ranking
Sirajgang 14870 143858 1
Tangail 6476 37222 2
Pabna 7434 35119 3
Narsingdhi 7247 26693 4
Kushtia 11927 22348 5
Narayangang 5178 14743 6
Dhaka 5448 13604 7
Brahmanbaria 3944 10505 8
Bogra 3877 5446 9
Comilla 3090 4696 10
Total 69491(37.9) 314234(62.2)
Source: Handloom Census, 2003
Note: The table excludes handloom establishments and looms in Chittagong and the figure in bracket
of the last row shows the Percent of Bangladesh.

From Table 9, it is observed that excluding those of Chittagong, Sirajgang District has the highest
number of establishments 14,870 in 2003 with corresponding looms 143858. By ranking in terms of
number of looms from top to below in 2003, the other Districts are Tangail, Pabna, Narsingdi,
Kushtia, Narayangang, Dhaka, Brahmanbaria, Bogra and Comilla with looms respectively 37,222,
35119, 26693, 22348, 14743, 13604, 10505, 5446 and 4696. A similar ordering of Districts in terms
of looms per unit almost gives the same result. There are 37.9% of establishments and 62.2 % of
operational looms of total establishments and looms in above-mentioned Districts.

Figure 3: Ranking of Districts by Handloom

The Figure 3 shows the rank of districts by handloom weaving industries in Bangladesh. The figure
indicates that Sirajgang District has the highest number of establishments.

9.2.6 Ranking of Districts by Per Unit Loom

All districts of Bangladesh are not handloom concentrated districts. The main handloom concentrated
districts are ranked by per unit loom in below.
 10 Rabindra Journal, Volume 03, Number, 01

Table 10: Ranking of Districts by Per Unit Loom

District 2003
Establishments Looms Ranking
Sirajgang 14870 143858 9.7
Tangail 6476 37222 5.8
Pabna 7434 35119 4.7
Narsingdhi 7247 26693 3.7
Kushtia 11927 22348 2.9
Narayangang 5178 14743 2.7
Dhaka 5448 13604 2.5
Brahmanbaria 3944 10505 1.9
Bogra 3877 5446 1.5
Comilla 3090 4696 1.4
Percent of Bangladesh 37.9 62.2 -
Source: Handloom Census, 2003

From Table 10 it is observed that there were 143858 looms in Sirajgong District, which is the highest
number of looms among all districts. In terms of per unit loom Narayanganj crosses Kushtia in Table
10 and Brahmanbaria crosses Dhaka and Comilla crosses Bogra while ranking.

Figure 4: Ranking of Districts by Per Unit Loom

The Figure 4 shows Sirajgong District has the highest number of looms among all districts.

9.2.7 Ranking of Districts by Per Unit Operational Loom

The looms, which are producing cloth currently, are operational looms. The operational looms are not
same in all Districts. The rank of Districts by operational looms is shown in Table 11.
 11 Rabindra Journal, Volume 03, Number, 01

Table 11: Ranking of Districts by Per Unit Operational Loom

District 2003
Establishments Looms Ranking
Sirajgang 14870 143858 1
Tangail 6476 37222 2
Pabna 7434 35119 3
Narsingdhi 7247 26693 4
Kushtia 11927 22348 6
Narayangang 5178 14743 7
Dhaka 5448 13604 5
Brahmanbaria 3944 10505 10
Bogra 3877 5446 8
Comilla 3090 4696 9
Percent of Bangladesh 37.9 62.2 -
Source: Handloom Census, 2003

From Table 11, it is observed that while ranking districts per unit operational looms both
Narayangang and Dhaka crossed Kushtia and respectively take the 5th and 6th positions. This is,
indeed, a better indicator.

9.2.8 Basic Information of Handloom Industry (in ‘000’ Tk.)

The basic information of handloom industries is shown in below table. The table shows the total units
of handloom, persons engaged with handloom industry, investment, working capital etc. in
Bangladesh and her six divisions.

Table 12: Basic Characteristics of Handloom Industry

Division Total unit Persons Total Total fixed Initial Working
Engaged looms assets investment capital
Barisal 2311 5212 4741 39225 25099 7522
Chittagong 92095 115041 156829 248647 156977 101068
Dhaka 30558 249749 105467 1393858 1028441 565508
Khulna 22379 104182 37855 464847 292582 154117
Rajshahi 32968 402954 195749 1851104 1186721 873269
Sylhet 3201 10977 4915 34620 22994 16020
Bangladesh 183512 888115 50556 4032301 2712814 1717504
Source: Handloom Census, 2003

From Table 12, it is observed that loom per unit is nearly 3 in number and average person engaged per
loom is 1.8. It is also observed from the above table that out of the total persons engaged in the
handloom sector about 45.37 percent remain in Rajshahi Division and the second highest remain in
Dhaka division which is 28.1 percent. However, Chittagong Division occupies the highest number of
handloom establishments but persons engaged are only 12.9 percent. It is due to three Hill Tracts
districts where looms are mostly operated by only one person.

9.2.9 Distribution of Looms by Urban and Rural Area

Generally, handloom is rural based industry. It is also found in unban area in Bangladesh. The
distribution of handloom industry by urban and rural area is stated in below.
 12 Rabindra Journal, Volume 03, Number, 01

Table 13: Distribution of Looms by Urban and Rural Area

Division Rural Urban
Looms % Looms %
Barisal 4419 1.0 322 0.8
Chittagong 132806 28.5 24023 61.7
Dhaka 100584 21.5 4883 12.5
Khulna 33758 7.2 4097 10.5
Rajshahi 190259 40.8 5490 14.1
Sylhet 4786 1.0 129 0.3
Bangladesh 466612 100.0 38944 100
Source: Handloom Census, 2003

From the Table 13 it is observed that Rajshahi Division accounts for about 40.8 % rural looms
followed by Chattagong Division 28.5%, Dhaka Division 21.6%, Khulna Division 7.2% Barisal
Division 1.0% and Sylhet Division 1.0 % looms. On the other hand, Chittagong Division accounts for
61.7 % urban looms followed by Rajshahi Division 14.1 %, Dhaka Division 12.5%, and Khulna
Division 10.5% urban looms.

9.2.10 Yarn Consumption by Per Unit and Per Operational Loom

Table 14: Yarn Consumption by Per Unit and Per Operational Loom
Weekly Monthly
Division Per unit Per loom Per unit Per loom
Barisal 7.7 11.3 35.2 51.1
Chittagong 3.2 4.0 5.1 6.3
Dhaka 30.7 13.2 109.0 46.9
Khulna 15.8 13.5 70.9 61.0
Rajshahi 43.0 10.5 164.7 40.0
Sylhet 9.5 8.6 11.9 10.8
Bangladesh 16.7 9.8 59.6 35.1
Source: Handloom Census-2003; Note: per loom means per operational loom

From Table 14, it is observed that the average weekly yarn consumption yarn consumption per unit
and per operational loom are respectively 16.7 pound and 9.8 pound respectively and those monthly
are 59.6 pound and 35.1 pound respectively. Rajshahi Division exhibits weekly and monthly per unit
and per loom yarn consumption as 43.0 pound and 10.5 pound and 164.7 pound and 40.0 pound
respectively. Dhaka Division has 30.7 pound and 13.2 pound weekly and 109.0 pound and 46.9 pound
monthly yarn consumption per unit and per loom of handloom establishments.

9.2.11 Cloth Availability in Bangladesh

Handloom industry is an important source for cloth supply in Bangladesh. It meets a large portion of
demand for cloth of domestic consumer. The cloth supply of Bangladesh from different sources is
shown in below Table 15.
 13 Rabindra Journal, Volume 03, Number, 01

Table 15: Cloth Availability in Bangladesh (million meters)

Year Handlooms Power Mills Net imports Apparent total
looms availability
1960-61 366.5 1.8 58.4 74.3 501.0
(73.0) (0.5) (11.7) (14.8) (100.0)
1969-70 389.3 3.5 53.3 119.6 565.7
(68.8) (0.7) (9.4) (21.1) (100.0)
1972-73 350.3 4.8 67.8 62.5 485.4
(72.2) (1.0) (14.0) (12.8) (100.0)
1986-87 606.9 61.1 60.4 57.6 786.0
(77.2) (7.8) (7.7) (7.3) (100.0)
1989-90 826.8 220.0 231.8 109.0 1387.6
(59.5) (15.9) (16.7) (7.9) (100.0)
2002-03 687 170.0 1590.0 (-)526.0 1921.0
(35.8) (8.8) (82.8) (-27.4) (100.0)
Source: Handloom Census-2003

From the Table 15, it is observer that during the pr-liberation period handloom industry accounted for
about 73 percent of total cloth supply in 1960-61 and 68.8 percent in 1969-70. After liberation
immediately in, 1972-73, handloom industry catered to about 72.2 percent of total cloth supply, which
increased to 77.2 in 198687 and decreased to 59.5 percent in 1989-90. However, during 2002-03, a
structural change in cloth production and supply took place in which the relative share of handloom
cloth decreased drastically to 35.8 percent and mill cloth increased outstandingly to 82.8 percent. An
outstanding performance of private mills raised the share of mill production to 82.80 percent in 2002-
03.

9.2.12 Size of Employment by Sex

A large number of labor forces are engaged in handloom industry in Bangladesh. Next to agriculture,
it is the second largest source of rural employment. The distribution of employment in handloom
industry by male and female are shown in Table 16.

Table 16: Employment in Handloom Industry by Sex

Items Years and percentage
Sex 1986 % 1987 % 1990 % 2003 %
Male 648865 23 443135 55 571765 56 472367 53
Female 244160 27 362565 45 455642 44 415748 47
Total 893034 100 805700 100 1027407 100 888115 100
Source: Handloom Census, 2003

From the above table, it is seen that movement of labor force in the Handloom industry is not smooth,
rather fluctuation depending on the number of units, looms etc. There were 0.89 million labor force in
1986 and this decreased to 0.81 million in 1987. In 1990 the number is the highest 1.03 million, but it
decreased to .088 million in 2003. Female labor force has general tendency to increase and male labor
force has a tendency to decrease.
 14 Rabindra Journal, Volume 03, Number, 01

Figure 5: Employment in Handloom Industry by Sex

The above figure shows the employment status in handloom industries in Bangladesh from 1986 to
2003.

10. Conclusion

The objective of the study is to describe the present Scenario of handloom weaving industry of
Bangladesh. The study analyzed the different aspects and issues of handloom industries. It is found
that the handloom sector is raising rural employment and income, alleviating rural poverty, bringing
equity in the distribution of income, substituting imports, and increasing potentials for exports.
However, this industry is facing some problems, which are the reasons for non-operation of looms.
Therefore, the government and non-government agencies should come forward with financial and
other supports for the development of this sector.

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