Jhenaidah Correspondent :
The potters in remote Jhenaidah villages have been facing manyfold problems as the prices of soil, fuel woods, colour and other materials went higher.
Many of them already left their four-father’ profession, and even a number of the potters left the country expecting better profession in neighboring country, said the potters.
They said huge number of potters locally known as Kumar or Paul community people were the main maker of the house hold and other earthen accessories of the rural and urban people. They made water jar, rice and curry cooking, their cover, flattened rice frying pot, plate (sanki), curry boal, water glass for household uses.
They also prepared cow feeding pots (chari), molasses preserving large pot, latrine slabs, orchid nursing flower tubs etc. massively used for farming and other purposes.
But the four-fathers’ profession of the community are declining fast as no effective patronization was ensured for them leading the community in an uncertain time.
The Kumar community people were living at Haroara, Nagirat, Royerah, Bagutia, Ratnat, Bogura, Kazipara, Phulahari and some other villages of Sailkupa, Kola in Kaliganj and other parts of the district sine the British reign.
A number of potters, who can not manage their family with the traditional profession, leaving the country and settled in neighboring country. The trend is not significant at all
Badal Chandra Paul of Bakshipur village under Sailkupa upazila said, he along with his wife have been working at their house to produce potteries. They can hardly receive a total of Taka 18 to 20 thousand a month investing Taka at least 14 thousand for soil, fuel wood and colour. The money is two inadequate to meat his four member family, Badal Paul said.
Anjali Paul, another potter woman of the village said, they have been continuing the profession as their four-fathers’ one that could not ensure their adequate food and other basic rights.
The four member family manages the family expenses anyhow as the prices of the equipments for pot making is increasing faster than their earning from the same. A number of their relatives, who could not manage their family with the traditional profession, left the country and settled in neighboring country.
As the pottery woks require huge money now a day, some of their community people have been continuing the trade with loans from the non-government organizations that costs higher rate of interest as the organizations starts collection form the very beginning of the issuance of the loan.
There is no provision for any grace period. The poor potters can not receive the loan from government banks for want of sufficient collateral, she said.
When contacted, Sushanta Saha, manager of Bangladesh Krishi Bank Sailkupa branch in Jhenaidah said, usually they do not encourage loan without any collateral.
