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Trendy trade in schoolbags

Sayeda Akter
Zuhairia Anan, a six-year-old student, no longer wishes to go to school with her six-month-old schoolbag, as she barely can take her eyes off a new I larry Potter bag that she sees with her classmate.
She was desperately pleading with her parents to buy her the one decked out with Harry Potter picture and the zipper head carries a mask of the popular t<;en icon.
"It's so wonderful and lovely, I must get one." Zuhairia insisted.
She is among many such school-goers who always tend to have a new and trendy bag when it hits market, or when the children start a new session in school.
Reading their minds, the market for schoolbags is growing at a faster pace across the country, especially in the capital. The industry has developed in several segments with importing and making bags of different price tags in recent years.
Industry people estimate the overall market size of such items including casual and fashionable schoolbags at aroundTk 30 crore a year.
Currently, more than 10 lakh bags are sold every year in the country, with around 7.5 lakh bags coming from China, Thailand and Singapore, said the industrypeople.
Mainly three types of bags - - backpack, side bag and fancy cartoon bag -- dominate the market, said Shah Alam, managing director of Daniel Corporation, a bag importer.
"In '70s only the rich urban people used to buy schoolbags for their children and most of those were imported," he said, adding that now the bags are essential for almost all rural and urban students.
He said the designs of the bags depend on the age of the clients, for example the students of playgroup to class three need single-compartment bags, class four to seven want double compartment bags and students of higher classes need multi-compartment bags.
Alam imports bags from China, as those are low-priced, stylish and suit Bangladesh's weather.
He said the materials for making the bags are mainly cloths made of nylon, polyester and silk with PVC (polyvinyl chloride), a common thermoplastic resin used in a wide variety of bag and rainwear for ensuring water protection.
The prices of these imported bags range from Tk 280 to Tk 650 each and these are more durable and popular, according to the users and the industry
people.
Rakibul Ahmed, owner of Jamuna Bag Store at New Market in Dhaka, said the sales of schoolbags go up in the begin ningofayear and mid-year, although the sales remain steady round the year.
"The new session of Bangla medium schools begins in the beginning of a year and the English medium schools in the middle of the year, and so the sales are high these seasons," he said.
Rakibul keeps a wide range of schoolbags with a combination of imported and locally made bags, although the imported ones are more popular.
He imports bags from China, Thailand and Singapore. But the local bags cost low.
Interestingly, the locals started making schoolbags in recent years and the sales of their products are satisfactory now, said industry people.
Aynal Rafi, owner of Rafi Bags, a local manufacturer at Chawkbazar in Dhaka, said he started making bags four years ago, using imported materials from China and Thailand and the wholesale price of his bags ranges fromTk 120 toTk 160.
He said the local bags can meet at least 20 percent of the total demand and their sales are increasing day by day, as these bags are cheap.
He, however, admitted the criticism of less durability of the bags. The local manufacturers lack enough fund, and quality materials such as waterproof cloths and zippers in the local market, he added.
There is a lack of designers and experienced tailors in this industry who can produce a fine finished product within a tight budget, Aynal explained.
But the quality of design is improving gradually, he added.
However, the sector is facing problems that hold back its growth.
Shah Alam of Daniel Corporation said import duty is a big problem for the growth of the sector, as the businesspeople import a bag from China for $15 and pay an additional $17 in duty.
He said the same thing happens when entrepreneurs import raw materials to make bags locally.
Aynal said the government should encourage the local entrepreneurs by offering them easy access to bank loans that will help them make quality bags.
The industry people also feel the necessity of forming an association, which they think will safeguard the industry.
sayeda@thedailystar.net