Success and failure stories

15,000-16,000 taka spent a month, 8,000 left, and 15 families still at the wheel

More than 200 families once worked clay at Taleshwar Kumarpara in Bagerhat; about 15 remain. One potter spends 15,000-16,000 taka a month on the work and is left with roughly 8,000.

A lakh taka of mats a month before Covid, now not even 30,000-40,000

A weaver of forty years saw monthly sales fall from about 1 lakh taka to under 30,000-40,000, and his artisans from 30 to five. A shitalpati artisan never made more than 200-300 taka a day, so many left the trade.

A bamboo costs 150-200 taka while a basket still sells for 150

About 50 artisans still work bamboo in Kora Pakratel village, Debhata. A basket costs 70-80 taka in materials and sells for 150, two a day; another artisan buys a woven tabra at 180 taka and sells it at 200.

A training course and a Facebook page, 20,000 taka a month after costs

He graduated in 2017, took bamboo handicraft training in 2021 instead of chasing a job, and started that December. Trays sell at 600 taka, vases at 400 and miniature jhumghar models at 1,200; after all costs he earns about 20,000 taka a month.

Started in 2021

Learned the trade in a Dhaka firm, came home, and now makes a crore taka of hogla goods a year

He learned the craft at a Dhaka handicraft firm while still in class nine, returned home in 2016 and set up production. The unit now turns out about 1 crore taka of goods a year, and women weaving at home earn 5,000-6,000 taka a month.

Started in 2016

50-60 maunds of water hyacinth a day, 30,000-40,000 taka a month after costs

They started in 2020 after seeing water hyacinth goods at a Dhaka buyer's place. They now buy 50-60 maunds of fresh hyacinth a day at 100-120 taka a maund, clear 30,000-40,000 taka a month after costs, and give work to 60-70 people.

Started in 2020

From 50 workers to 15, from export toys to bags for the home market

Before March 2020 the factory made jute toys for export and employed 50 people. After the pandemic the workforce fell to 15 and the product changed to bags for the domestic market; no lender would advance credit because her bank account showed too little turnover.

Started hawking from a van, now 30-35 lakh taka of goods a month

Began on 31 October 2016 selling from a van. The unit now makes 30-35 lakh taka of hogla, jute and twine goods a month for more than 2 lakh taka of profit, with 54 permanent and over 250 contract workers.

Started in 2016

60-70 taka of profit a piece, yet workshop owners are leaving batik

Kamalpur village turns over 40-45 crore taka a year across 15-20 batik workshops. One owner makes 60-70 taka a piece, but the cost of cloth and chemicals and a shortage of artisans are pushing others out of the trade.

10,000 taka to start, 50 lakh a year in sales, and 5,000 people stitching

Started in 2011 with 10,000 taka; sales now run at 4-5 lakh taka a month, about 50 lakh a year, with more than 5,000 people stitching. The same report puts a stitcher of twenty years on 3,000 taka a month.

Capital

৳10k

Started in 2011

A 2.5-lakh order cancelled and 45,000 taka lost, now 3-4 lakh of sales a month

Started in 2021 with about 10,000 taka of cloth and thread. A 2.5-lakh-taka overseas order was rejected over poor cloth sourced through a relative, costing about 45,000 taka; after taking sourcing back into her own hands the page now sells 3-4 lakh taka a month.

Capital

৳10k

Started in 2021

Land sold to clear the loan, then Covid closed a 21-year-old unit

A unit of 18 workers sending jackets and t-shirts to India, Nepal and Bhutan. A 5-lakh-taka bank loan had been cleared by selling land; after two months shut from March 2020, the 21-year-old business closed for good.