To cope with the growing orders, workers at those factories located at Keraniganj have been working till midnight to meet the demands of the country’s large local customer base, businessmen and workers said. Targeting hot Eid sale, some of the manufacturers also raised their investment volume for further mounting their production capacity in a bid to book a good portion of the hefty trade during the largest festival for Muslims. Keraniganj, located on the bank of River Buriganga, is a home for more than 5,500 small and medium-sized factories, mostly denim ones, that make various types of clothing for the customers. The turnover in the hub, a cluster of 200 markets that spread over an area of two kilometres, records nearly Tk 500 million a day, manufacturers claimed. Wholesalers and retailers from all over the country come to purchase those good-quality wear from the cluster in the textile hub, which was known for supplying re-modified used clothes in the 80s. While visiting several factories there, the FE correspondent found the whole chain of manufacturing that includes sewing, dyeing and washing on a desperate run to maintain smooth supply of the quality fashion wear for both men and women. Talking to the journalist, Jahangir Hossain, the owner of Grameen Pants House, said they have been working from early morning to midnight to meet the growing orders that come from all over the country. “My factory is now making nearly 400 jeans items a day through 100 sewing machines and more than 100 workers are employed there,” he said, adding that the apparel zone supplies around 80 per cent of the country’s total demand for denim. Alamgir Hossain, the owner of New Dipu Pant House, said the growing demand for the items indicated that people’s trust on the Keraniganj-made jeans had gone up significantly. “We’re, now, competing well with the Chinese and Thai jeans because of the quality and longevity of our local products,” he said. He also gave credit to innovation in terms of design, keeping new market trend and style in mind, for the demand escalation. “And that’s the speciality of the hub,” he added. Sohel Rana, a sewing worker of Deepti Garments, said he can sew more than five pants a day, which ends at about 11:30pm, and he welcomed the pressure of work to earn extra ahead of the festival. “I got Tk 80 for each item as per the verbal contract and the owners clear the payment on demand. So, payment is not a problem and it encourages the workers to work more,” he added. General Secretary of Keraniganj Garment Manufacturers and Merchants Association Mizanur Rahman said political calm now prevailing in the country has largely contributed to the business boom. He said wholesalers all over the country purchase various types of jeans and gabardine items at Tk 150 to Tk 500 apiece and then sell those at Tk 250 to Tk 900 to the local customers.
