‘Batting’ for local manufacturing units

MIRPUR: A walk through any sports goods shop in Dhaka usually means browsing through high-end bats largely made in India. The bat-manufacturing industry here is still nascent. In terms of numbers, there are many local brands, but for professionals, a bat made here is never in demand.

But, the industry is growing. A small yet persistent set of people is carrying on with its work in the rural sector of the country, many using it as a medium to overcome poverty. It’s a small-scale industry heavily dependent on micro loans from financial institutions and assistance from NGOs.

One such cluster operates out of Jhenidah, located 250km from Dhaka. There, a local NGO that provides micro finance is the reason behind the start of what they claim is an ‘ever-growing’ business.

Hasan Arafat, programme coordinator RHECO (Rural Health Education and Credit Organisation) that facilitates micro loans in various sectors, says the first manufacturing model was executed five years ago.

“A man came to us and said he wanted funding to buy machinery to carve wood for a small bat-manufacturing unit,” says Arafat. “Today, nearly half the village of Shalkupa in the Jhenidah region depends on the business. Bats manufactured here go to all parts of the country, including Dhaka,” adds Arafat.

Like RHECO, other NGOs have begun handing out loans to people willing to take the plunge into bat-making. Following the spurt in interest, Bangladesh’s leading non-government organisation, BRAC has also decided to facilitate loans for would-be bat manufacturers in the rural belt.