From Tea Stall to Jute Products: A Faridpur Family's Journey to Self-Reliance

For years, Awal Byapari struggled to support his family with a tea stall that brought in just Tk 1,500 to 2,000 a month. Today, the 64-year-old weaves jute fabric at home in Baishrashi village in Faridpur, while his wife, Tahmina Begum, turns it into wallets and handbags.

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For the first five years, I collected jute fabric from Madhukhali upazila in Faridpur and made different products from it. Later, I bought five handlooms for Tk 5,000 and started working at home.

Their fortunes began to change 28 years ago, when Tahmina joined a Bangladesh Rural Development Board training programme near their home. She learned how to make jute products, and Awal gradually joined her work. He first collected jute fabric from Madhukhali upazila and made products from it. Later, he bought five handlooms for Tk 5,000 and began producing fabric at home.

Awal and three other workers now make the fabric on the handlooms, while Tahmina finishes the products. The family once produced about 2,500 to 3,000 pieces a month. They now make around 1,500 items, including about 1,000 wallets and 500 handbags.

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Running the family by selling tea was very difficult. I used to earn Tk 1,500-2,000 a month. After we started making products from jute, our situation gradually improved. Now I can work from home and support my family.

Their products are sold through Aarong, one of Bangladesh's leading retail chains. After expenses, Awal earns about Tk 40,000 to 50,000 a month. He says the income has allowed him to spend about Tk 15 lakh sending two sons abroad, while another son, who completed a master's degree, works for a private company in Dhaka.

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All these achievements were made possible with the income from my jute business.

The family has also bought 18 decimals of land for about Tk 5 lakh and built a single-storey house. “All these achievements were made possible with the income from my jute business,” Awal said. Tahmina said she never expected the training to change their fortunes, but the family is now doing very well with the work.

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I never knew that the training would one day change our fortunes. We are doing very well with this work now.