BSS, Rangpur :
‘Nijera Cottage and Village Industries Ltd (NCVI)’, a natural indigo producing social enterprise for the poor at Rajendrapur village here, has set up a unique example by making 2,000 poor people self-reliant.
With technical support and assistance of CARE Bangladesh, the exceptional enterprise was set up during the period 2008-2009 initially by 200 extremely poor males and females and is being run by them with the principle ‘We are Workers, We are Owners.’
Chairman of NCVI Sumanto Kumar and its Managing Director Salam Begum and other members of the organisation narrated the history of setting up the enterprise with an aim to bring socioeconomic changes among the extremely poor rural people.
Chairman of NCVI Sumanto Kumar narrated the process of indigo cultivation, its commercial production and marketing both at home and abroad and its success stories.
While providing a short description about the NCVI activities, Managing Director Salam Begum said “NCVI is a quite different type of company where all its members are workers as well as owners at the same time. We have been working for the welfare of the extremely poor people starting with only 200 workers and artisans in the beginning.”
Currently, the NCVI has extended its indigo cultivation and production activities in Dinajpur, Rangpur, Nilphamari, Gaibandha and Lalmonirhat creating employment opportunities for 2,000 extremely poor people, mostly women, she added.
“We are cultivating indigo and producing best quality of the dye with the brand name ‘True Bengal Natural Indigo Dye.’ The brand name has become popular globally attracting many international trading houses and companies,” she said.
Salam Begum said NCVI products like ‘Kantha’, ‘Orna’, scarf, ‘Fotua’, ‘salwar-kameez’ and natural indigo are of the best quality and being exported to the United States, France, Japan, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, India and many other countries.
“The NCVI has sold its products worth over Taka 2.50 crore both at home and abroad since the 2008-2009 fiscal,” Technical Coordinator (Economic Empowerment) of Social Economic Transformation of the Ultra Poor (SETU) project of CARE Bangladesh Rezaul Islam said.
Team Leader of the SETU project Abdul Matin said the enterprise would continue to expand to become a model of its unique type through creating employment for over 20,000 extremely poor people of the region in the next few years.
During his visit to NCVI here on April 10 last, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Dan W Mozena observed samples of the export items and desired to extend further assistance for exploring brighter prospect of the exceptional cottage industry globally.
Country Director of CARE Bangladesh Zemi Terzi, its Director Anwarul Haque and its high officials accompanied Mozena during the visit.
