|
Researcher : Khandoker Reaz Hossain
Project Status : On-going
Shital Pati (Cool mat) is a traditional handicraft
of Bangladesh. Though it is a rural-based cottage industry
of more than century-old, it is now facing a threat
of extinction due to competition from modern mats of
various kinds. Cool mats made by the villagers of Sahidpur
of Kawkhali area have earned a name for itself all over
the country. Before the liberation war there were 100
households engaged in making cool mats who are now changing
their occupation resulting extinction of this cottage
industry. The study will be aimed at exploring information
on the following issues :
(i) information on the market potentiality of cool mats;
(ii) identify the methods and process of marketing as
well as explore the bottlenecks in marketing cool mats;
(iii) to identify, if any, the community engaged in
making cool mats have undertaken any organised attempt
of marketing;
(iv) identify the potentiality of increasing the production
of raw materials and the finished products (i.e. cool
mats);
(v) identify the market demand as well as to explore
the main centres for marketing, and
(vi) explore the potentiality of diversified use of
cool mat and increasing the market demand.
This is an investigative study where information will
be collected in 3 stages, i.e. (i) selection of study
area and the sample cool mat makers; (ii) collection
of primary information from the community members, and
(iii) discussion with those engaged in marketing of
cool mats at different centres/places.
|
