CARITAS closing its Modhupur silk factory, sericulture project
High yarn price raises production cost
Jahangir Alam, back from Modhupur (Tangail)
NETRAKONA: The CARITAS silk factory and its sericulture project in Modhupur are going to be closed, its officials said. Some sources however claimed that CATITAS is now giving more emphasis on giving micro credit than on production oriented activities. CARITAS, an NGO, stated its sericulture project in 1992 and appointed 16 field officials in different areas of Mymensingh. It also established a silk factory at Jalchatra in Modhupur upazila the same year with 54 looms. About 500 indigenous and Bangali women got jobs there. The sericulture project supplied 100 per cent pure silk yarn and the factory produced pure silk cloth. Dying and printing sections were added in phases. Beautiful silk sharee, panjabi and other clothes were produced in the factory, which had good market in the country. Within short time, CARITAS silk products became famous. But in July 2001, CARITAS authorities started retrenchment of employees from its sericulture project one by one. Now, there is only one field official in the Modhupur sericulture project, the sources said. The sericulture project is virtually closed now, they said. Consequently, supply of yarn also stopped. The factory started buying yarn from the market at high prices and so the cost of production increased. Demand for its products plummeted. CARITAS silk factory lost its normal activities and the authority decided to close it down. Now, only about 100 workers are working in the factory. Factory manager Jarum Sattan Howlader told the correspondent during a recent visit that the CARITAS silk factory is going to be closed due to "lack of patronisation" by higher authorities. Howlader lamented that CARITAS products could be exported, but this potential could not be exploited due to lack of initiative by the higher authorities. When contacted, Chitta Ronjon Sangma, director of CARITAS in Mymensingh, said, "Higher authorities have decided to close the silk factory and I have nothing to do." Some workers told this correspondent that about six months back, the authorities asked about 400 of their colleagues not to come for work. Seeking anonymity, some of the workers and leaders of local indigenous people alleged that CARITAS now gives more emphasis on credit-giving than on productive activities.
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