Shoes made by women in remote villages are going to Europe-America

Once upon a time, poverty and scarcity were the daily companion of the people of Ghanirampur village of Taraganj, Rangpur. The men of this village used to leave their homes in search of work to escape from the scourge of poverty. And the women were imprisoned in the four walls of the house. That scenario has now changed. Along with the various initiatives of the state, the lives of the people of Rangpur have changed due to various initiatives of the private sector.

An export-oriented shoe factory named Bling Leather Products has been making the women of Ghanirampur village in Taraganj of the district economically independent for several years. The institution has changed the lives of thousands of women in this village. Shoes made by women of Ghanirampur village are now being exported to Europe-America. Because of that, the lifestyle of these women in the village has started to change.

Two brothers built this shoe factory on 9 and a half acres of land in Ghanirampur village, three kilometers away from Taraganj upazila headquarters. Hasanuzzaman and Md. Salim. Md. Salim has already passed away. The two brothers invested about 3.5 billion taka in the factory. Their house is in Babupara of Nilphamari Sadar in North District. Both brothers were once expatriates. They moved to the United States in the eighties. There they built a housing business. Be successful. Then he thought of investing in the country. From that thought, he set up a cold storage facility in Nilphamari in 2009 and Mithapukur in Rangpur in 2012. Then in 2017, Bling Leather established an export-oriented shoe factory in Taraganj. About 3000 people have already been employed in this factory.

In 2023, elder brother Md. Salim died of old age. Hasanuzzaman is currently serving as the managing director and chief executive of the company. Talked to him during the factory visit recently. He said that even though he had been abroad for a long time, his elder brother wanted to do something in the country. From that desire, they took the initiative to establish business as well as industry in the country.

Recently, it was seen on the ground that the three units of Bling Leather are making shoes in full swing. The whole area is buzzing with the sound of machines and sewing machines. The hands of the workers are moving in parallel with the machine. In each row of the factory, supervisors take turns monitoring the quality of work. About 80 percent of the workers in this factory are women. Therefore, the factory authorities have appointed women supervisors to supervise the work of women.

Jasmine Ara, the worker welfare officer of the company, said that most of the factory workers are women from local middle class and lower class families. About 80 percent of the unemployment in the area was eliminated after the factory was built. A safe working environment for women is ensured as most of the workers are women.

Bhanu Rani, a worker in the factory's cutting unit, said, 'In the beginning, it seemed that the work of the factory would be difficult; But after a few months I got used to the work. Now I am earning by sitting in the village. I save this income not only for myself, but for the future of my children.

Aduri Rani, a resident of Rangpur's Shahbazpur area, a worker in the factory's packaging unit, said, 'I used to work in Dhaka. I used to go out in the morning and return home at night. What I used to earn ended up with house rent and food. Now I have returned to my village. After work, I can return home in the evening and do housework. I can give time to family. I started rearing cows and goats at home with a part of the income.

While talking on the ground, the worker of Ghanirampur village, Lovely Begum, who is working in the factory, said, "Before this factory was built, we had to run our family with bad debts and NGO loans. After that I first came here for training, from there work started. Now I don't have to take loans, but I am also saving something every month. Not only me, the women of the area are now earning more or less thanks to this factory. It also increased the respect of women in the family. This is our big find.

According to the information of the factory authorities, at least 510 of the currently employed workers used to work in Dhaka and other parts of the country. After the factory started, they left those jobs and returned to their locality. From the beginning, workers are being paid according to the minimum wage structure. Also experience and skills are evaluated separately. Maternity leave and medical assistance are available for women workers. New workers are given fixed term training and training allowances, through which unskilled workers are gradually converted into skilled workers.

People related to the factory said that the company mainly produces synthetic shoes and exports them to the international market. At present two units are in full swing production. Factory authorities are planning to set up another new unit. After further expansion of export activities, the company plans to supply shoes to the domestic market. In 2024, the company was recognized as the highest exporting company by Rupali Bank. Anisuzzaman Chowdhury, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser on Economic Affairs recently visited the factory.

Executive Director of Bling Leather. Rehan Bakht said that the factory is 100% export oriented. The shoes produced in Taraganj are currently being exported to Poland, Türkiye, Germany, Canada, USA, India and other countries. Foreign experts are working in this factory to ensure quality.

The manager of the organization's human resources and administration department. Abdullah Al Farooq Sarkar said, "The current daily production capacity of the factory is 10,000 pairs. According to the plan, the expansion of the factory will provide employment to 34 thousand people, 80 percent of whom will be women.

Al-Amin, a vegetable trader in Ghanirampur Beltali market, said that since the Bling Leather factory started, the market is always crowded. As the income of people in the area has increased, the sales of various shops in the market have also increased several times.

When asked, Abdul Haque, chairman of the local Kusha Union, said that the Bling Leather factory has proved that industrialization is possible even in villages if proper investment, safe working environment and participation of women are ensured. Bling Leather is not only making shoes, but writing a new chapter in the self-esteem, dreams and possibilities of the people of this area.

The managing director of the factory. Hasanuzzaman said, 'My brother used to think about the people of the village even from abroad. His main aim was to create employment for women. For that he built this factory in the village. We want to make the factory bigger. We have a plan to produce 50,000 pairs of shoes per day. There are plans to expand the business in the country's market as well as exports.