Traders crowd Keraniganj garment village
ABHIJEET DAS
Traders are still crowding the garment village of Keraniganj, the biggest wholesale market for local readymade garments, ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, even though three weeks of fasting have passed and many Eid shoppers have already completed their shopping. Traders said some people are yet to go in for shopping as they have not got their salaries. We expect traders till the 25th fasting day, and then the shopping frenzy will gradually decline, they said.
Late Eid shoppers are also big targets for us, said Hamidul, a trader from Comilla, who came to Keraniganj to purchase more clothes for his shop.
Around 70 per cent of the demand for readymade garments is met by this readymade garments business hub. Around 2.5 lakh people work in around 8,000 factories in the village on the banks of the Buriganga in Keraniganj.
Traders from all over the country congregate at this village, mainly before Eid, to purchase readymade garments, especially shirts, jeans pants, skirts, three-pieces, T-shirts, punjabis, etc.
Garments traders at Agarnagar and Kaliganj area of the upazila were terribly busy, handling traders from dawn to midnight. A huge number of traders could be seen at Alam Tower, Islam Plaza, Century Complex, Asha Complex, Zila Parishad, Mahbubul Alam market, Mosque Market, Hannan Market, SR Shopping Mall and other markets.
Manufacturers have followed both local as well as foreign designs in making garments. This year, among mens pants, Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Bahubali have captured the jeans market, while female shoppers are keen on purchasing Bajirao Mastani, Sharara and Kiranmala dresses.
Talking to The Independent at Keraniganj, Mizanur Rahman, general secretary of the Garments Babosayee and Dokan Malik Samabyay Samity, said there are around 2,700 RMG factories in Keraniganj and the number of listed traders is 8,000. There are around 1,000 small factories that are not listed and there are also more than 200 washing factories in the market, he said.
Weve completed our production in accordance with our target. Now we are selling garments for the Eid to traders coming from all over the country. This year weve brought out garments with various designs to create more demand for our products, he said.
During the Ramadan month, around 4,000 traders come to the market everyday, while on normal days, the number is just 300 to 350, he added.
Speaking about the sales target, apparel makers said they hoped to sell dresses worth up to Tk. 1,0001,200 crore this Ramadan. Talking to The Independent, Lily Garments owner Ripon Talukdar said: Around 70 per cent of our products have already been sold, but traders will crowd till the 25th fasting day. Lily Garments sells various jeans and pants.
We sell normal jeans at Tk. 250300 per piece while quality jeans are sold at Tk. 5502,500 per piece, he said.
Traders, who came from different parts of the country, said products from Keraniganj garment factories enjoyed good demand during festivals.
Atiur Rahman, a trader from Mymensingh, said: At the beginning of Ramadan, I bought products worth Tk. 6 lakh, and almost all of them have been sold. Ive come here to purchase more dresses worth Tk. 2 lakh, hoping for more buyers at my shop. I can buy each dress at Tk. 100150 less than what is sold at Dhaka wholesale markets.
Garments workers here do not grumble as they are paid for overtime and get their bonuses on time. There is also no fear of extortionists. Traders carry out good business because of communication opportunities, said garments factories owners.
Retailers do not have to carry cash with them as about 20 to 30 banks have branches in the area, they added.
