Islampur waiting for the buyer

Mohiuddin Farazi : Islampur, which is known as the capital’s largest wholesale market, has been booming in sales since 10 days before Shab-e-barat. Business is in full swing for 12-13 days. As such, wholesale sales are at the final stage. However, compared to the last time, the leaders of the Islampur Textile Traders Association said that the business is slow this time.
Most traders agree with them. The business leaders think that the reason for the business slowdown is inflation, increase in import cost due to increase in dollar price, inability to open LC, lack of money in the hands of the people, the wholesale market of clothes is not frozen. Apart from this, they believe that the notorious traffic jam in Islampur due to narrow roads is another major reason for business slump.
In the meantime, the traffic jam is intensifying as the narrow road renovation work has started again. A gang collected city corporation slips from retail traders while passing by Sadarghat bus stand. Due to these reasons, the retail traders are turning away from Islampur day by day.
According to sources, the number of small and big markets is around 150 in this market which is about 400 years old.
The number of registered shops is more than 4500. All in all, billions of rupees are traded here every day. About 60 percent of annual business is centered around Eid-ul-Fitr. The busyness starts before Shabbat. However, the businessmen said that the business is less than last time. They said that this situation is because the purchasing power of people has gone out of reach due to the increase in commodity prices due to the dollar crisis. Mainly due to price inflation, increase in import cost due to increase in dollar price, inability to open LC, not enough money in people’s hands, the wholesale market of cloths did not accumulate. In this regard, General Secretary of Islampur Textile Traders Association, Nesharuddin Mollah told, “I am the owner of Bastra Kanan”. This year my business is much less than last year. Like me, all the traders in Islampur are losing business. He said that the business is not happening because of the traffic jam in Islampur. Meanwhile, road renovation work is going on. As a result, the traffic jam is getting worse. In the law and order meeting, we asked to take measures to decongest Islampur. I also said that the road renovation work should not be started in the month of Ramadan. But without listening to our words, they are slowly doing road renovation work. Soil, garbage is kept on the road. As a result, the road has started further.
Yesterday, the country’s largest cloth wholesale market was found in Islampur’sBikrampur Garden City, Gulshan Ara City Complex, China Market, Nawabbari Market, Islampur’s Haji Sharfuddin Mansion, Haji Yusuf Mansion, Amanullah Complex, Latif Tower, A Mabud Rain Tower, Lion Tower, Madina. Bhawan, Haji Shamsuddin Mansion, Halim Plaza, Sonar Bangla Market and the surrounding business establishments, every shop is well decorated in Bahari clothes. Sales are still about the same as at other times of the year.
Wholesale traders said that all preparations are over before the start of Ramadan. Customers from different parts of the country started coming even before fasting. But this time, even though 14 days have passed in Ramadan, the buyers are not seen as compared to last time. Yesterday, several traders said that they could not sell even a rupee today. Many retailers ordered clothes and canceled them.
Although it is known as a wholesale market for locally made clothes and imported thana cloth, this market also has retail cloth shops. Different types of clothes including bahari colored three-piece, salwar kameez, saree, shirt-pant, punjabi are available in this market. Foreign brand clothes are available. As a result, this market becomes crowded around any festival. The middle part of the market is reserved for retailers. In this regard, Ramzan Ali, a fashion three-piece trader, said that due to the increase in the price of clothes and the rise in daily necessities, there has been an increase in pressure on people. Moreover, some retail traders lost capital. As a result, sales of three-pieces are decreasing. The manager of Al Amin Traders, Russell said that business was expected to be better this year than last year. But it is not like that. Sometimes it’s selling and sometimes it’s not. Director of search lungi. Abu Saeed told, the demand for lungi is high during this Eid. The rich choose lungi and cloth as zakat. But this time the demand has halved. Last year, 2 lakh pieceslungis were sold, but this year not even half of them were sold. As the reason, he said, one is that people do not have money. Two is that now the rich are distributing money to the poor instead of lungi cloth.
Retailer Salam came from Madaripur to buy three pieces. He said, other years we take lakhs of three pieces. But this year we are not taking risk as our sales are low. An official of Orbit Mansion said, desi clothes are sold more in Islampur. Besides, foreign clothes are also sold. Although produced in the country, dyes and chemicals have to be imported. Unable to do LC due to increase in dollar price. That is why quality cloth is not being produced. We have demand but cannot supply. Besides, the gas and electricity bills have increased by a lot and the cost of production has increased. Business cannot be sustained like this. As a result, the number of traders in Islampur is decreasing day by day.