Ctg shoemakers face hard times ahead of Eid
SHARIFUL ISLAM, Ctg
The footwear factories of Chittagong have been passing hard times as they did not receive expected orders comparing to the previous year.
During a recent visit to the shoemaking market of east Madarbari area in Chittagong city, it was found that, many labours were passing time by gossiping and having funs with each other,
while they were likely to busy with making fashionable footwear for male, female and children.
Proprietor of Smrity Shoes, Sharif Ahmmed Baten said, As Eid-ul-Fitr, the biggest religious festival of the Muslims, approaches, we have to pay our workers salary and bonus, but we did not receive enough order.
Another shoemaker Md Asifur Rahman Uzzal of K L Shoes, who have been running his business in the area for 10 years said, We have order of amounting Taka 5 Lakh in month of Ramzan, but 15th Ramzan of this year already have past while we have got order of amounting Taka 1 lakh only.
They two businessman and some others alleged that, they are facing bankruptcy with business as the shoes imported without tax from other countries have taken their market places. They also alleged that, another reason for falling of their business is the governments step to include vat on their hand-made products.
Sources said, the footwear industry in Chittagong boasts of 1,500 factories, employing about 25,000 people. Considering different choices of different ages, they have been making trendy shoes of various designs for gents, ladies, boys, girls and children.
According to Chittagong Khudra Paduka Shilpa Malik Group, the products are mainly sold to the buyers coming from Coxs Bazar, Rangamati, Khagrachhari, Bandarban, Feni, Noakhali, Luxmipur, Comilla, Brahmanbaria, Sylhet, Dhaka and 14 upazilas under Chittagong district.
A number of prominent shopping malls of the port city collect shoes from the traditional factories of east Madarbari. The shopping malls include Sanmar Ocean City, UNESCO Tower, Central Plaza, New Market, Moti Tower, VIP Tower, Reaz Uddin Bazar, Singapore-Bangkok Market, Singapore Market, Karnaphuli Market, Munni Plaza, Hawker Market, Nupur Market and Teribazar, according to the organisation members.
Contacted Manjur Khan, general secretary of Chittagong Khudra Paduka Shilpa Malik Group told The Independent, In the last year, all the factories were
very busy in the month of Ramzan with making shoes, but this year our business is fallen as shoes imported without tax from India and Chinas have taken the market places for the last three month. As a result of this, about ten factories including Sumon Shoes, Mobile Shoes, Kamal Shoes and Jewel Shoes have already closed their business.
We want to urge to the government to stop the import of tax free foreign
shoes to save about 20,000 workers lives depend on shoe making business and to help us to extend our business as we can export our product in different countries, added Manjur.
Manjur also urged the government to allow import of raw materials at a low import duty, setting up of a Paduka Palli, or a separate zone for the industry in a suitable industrial area, so that all footwear factories can have required facilities at one place, to help the industry flourish.
