Ctg shoe-makers busy eyeing Eid market

Workers of footwear factories in East Madarbari area of Chittagong city are passing busy time in making fashionable sandals of various designs ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, the biggest religious festival of the Muslims.

However, the factory workers and owners are bit unsatisfied as they have not got their expected amount of orders yet.

Chittagong city has around 600 footwear factories of which at least 350 are situated in East Madarbari area and about 2,500 people work there, according to Chittagong Khudra Paduka Shilpa Malik Samity.

The factories have been making trendy sandals of various designs, considering different genders, and different ages, for years.

During a recent visit to those factories in the area, this correspondent found some factories busy packaging up sandals while some others with cutting, sole making, colouring and sewing.

Robi Awal, a worker of Shiku Bazar Paduka, said, “We only make gents' sandals. Normally, we make two to three dozen of shoes every day but during Eid season, it becomes six to seven dozens per day”.

“Generally, we earn Tk 200 to 250 per day. Now, we can earn Tk 500 to 600 per day. We are working for extra hours to meet the Eid demands”, said Saiful Islam, a worker of Moon Star Paduka.

Sobuj Mia, owner of Rack Shoes, said, “We make sandals, slippers and high heels for ladies. Such footwear has high demand in the market.”

But some factory owners and workers said this year, the work pressure is low compared to that of previous years as they have not got their expected orders from customers.

According to the Samity members, the factories mainly supply the footwear to the port city's Reazuddin Bazar wholesale market.

Some prominent shopping malls in the city also buy footwear from the factories, they said, adding they also sell their products to buyers from Cox's Bazar, Rangamati, Khagrachhari, Bandarban and some other upazilas of Chittagong district. Manjur Khan, vice-president of the Samity, said they do not get expected orders now-a-days as footwear imported from India and China is available in the market.

He stressed the need for increasing tax on footwear import to flourish the local market. He also urged the government and SME Foundation to provide them with loans with low interest, and to lower the duty on raw materials import.