Monira Begum Munni

The country's handicrafts industry registered a 21 per cent export growth in the first ten months of 2008-09 fiscal year over that of the corresponding period of 2007-08 fiscal.

During July-April period of FY 2008-09, the earnings from the sector stood at US$ 5.43 million while it was US$ 4.50 million for the same period in FY2007-08.

According to the statistics released by Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) recently the earnings from the sector in the first ten months of the fiscal year is already 11.73 per cent up from the target of US$ 4.86 million.

The handicraft goods included items made from quality cloth, leather, paper, plastic and jute. These specialised products earned world recognition, Banglacraft secretary Md Shahjalal told the FE.

Giving his opinion on the impressive growth achieved, Md. Shahjalal said "Our craftsmen have amalgamated their skills with local culture reflecting tradition. This has made our products special and attracted foreign buyers." Despite a robust performance the sector is being ignored by the government, claimed the leaders of Bangladesh Handicrafts Manufacturers and Exporters Association popularly known as Banglacraft.

"We need the government's help for organising training on design, fashion and technology," Banglacraft secretary said. Training institutes needs to be set up to improve the designs and quality of handicrafts, he added. Recently Banglacraft arranged a five-day long training on "Multipurpose Jute Products: Production and Distribution Management," recently. The training programme was funded by SME Foundation.