Mother and daughter weaving shitalpati for 20 years: mats sell for Tk 200-1,200, hand fans for Tk 100-300

A woman in Lakshmibaur village, Chhatak upazila, Sunamganj, has for about 20 years made and sold shitalpati mats, hand fans and stools of bamboo and cane at home. When her daughter was young her husband died, and she began making mats, later adding other goods. Her household now runs on this income. She buys murta or cane from neighbours or the village market, prepares and dyes it, and mother and daughter weave the mats together. They make three kinds: for beds, for prayer and for sitting. A big mat takes about a week and sells for Tk 200 to 1,200; patterned mats cost a little more. She can make three or four hand fans a day, selling for Tk 100-300. They also make bamboo baskets and fish traps. They sell at the village market, and before weddings many people phone in orders for mats and fans. After hearing stories of women using the internet at a Grameenphone courtyard meeting, they plan to use the daughter's smartphone to show their goods and widen their customer base. The report gives no monthly income or cost figures.