Northern districts' vermicelli makers eye Middle East market

Bakery owners in Northern districts, who produce vermicelli worth around Tk430 crore during the Eid season, have been exporting it to Middle Eastern countries on a small scale in the recent years after meeting the local demand.

Hasan Ali Alal, chairman of Bogura's hundred-year-old Akbaria Group, said that around one-third of its vermicelli is produced in the district during the Eid season. The group has been exporting it to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Yemen for the last few years.

"We have been trying to capture the markets in those countries. If various government policies regarding export are relaxed, it will be possible to earn a large amount of foreign exchange by exporting it," he told TBS.

Bogura Chamber of Commerce Vice President Mahfuzul Islam Raj told TBS, "Lachcha semai (vermicelli) producers of Bogura have been exporting it abroad in recent years. Their products will take over the Middle East market in no time. This will create more employment in our economically backward Northern districts and create new entrepreneurs."

Bayezid Sheikh, deputy general secretary of Bangladesh Bread, Biscuit and Confectionery Manufacturers Association, Uttarbanga Parishad, said, "The industry developed here around a hundred years ago. A number of big brands in the country are also manufacturing vermicelli here. Besides, there is scope for exporting the product abroad."

Activities regarding the seasonal vermicelli business begin 15 days before the advent of Ramadan. At least 150 factories in the district make vermicelli during the Eid season. The number of factories involved in this business in the Norther districts has exceeded 200, according to the Bangladesh Bread, Biscuit and Confectionery Manufacturers Association Uttarbanga Parishad.

Traders said during the Eid season, over 25,200 tonnes of vermicelli are produced in Northern districts. Among them, branded vermicelli worth Tk240 crore and non-branded vermicelli worth Tk190 crore are produced in 16 districts in the region.

These products are supplied to different districts across the country, including Dhaka, Chattogram, Barishal and Sylhet.

There are 10 factories of different brands in Bogura that produce vermicelli throughout the year, while the others produce it mainly during the Eid season.

Rustom Ali, a veteran vermicelli maker, said workers divided in teams of 8-12 people work in every factory. Each team can prepare vermicelli of about 12 sacks of flour per day.

Meanwhile, some people work in the vermicelli factories only during the Eid season. One such worker, Anwar Hossain, said seasonal workers can earn around Tk30,000-45,000 in a month as the demand for the product increases during Ramadan.

Dr Rokonuzzaman Sohag, a factory owner, said he has been producing vermicelli only during the Eid season for the last three years. He employs 10-15 people in his factory just for this season.

Sohag said, "Our customers are mainly in Dhaka and Chattogram. During the season, we receive orders for vermicelli worth around Tk50,000 per day from different parts of the country.

"More importantly, I sent vermicelli to a friend of mine in Australia for testing. He is now interested in buying several hundred kilograms of it from me. According to him, Bogura's vermicelli is way more delicious than the Pakistani vermicelli sold there."

Although the factories in Bogura are busy in vermicelli production, the businessmen there are going through a crisis due to the sharp rise in the prices of raw materials and workers' wages, which will lead to a rise in price of the item in the market.

Sabbir Hossain, manager of Khaja Bakery, said compared to last year, the wholesale price of loose vermicelli has increased by Tk20 to Tk80 per kg, and packaged vermicelli to Tk100 per kg.

The price of branded vermicelli has increased by Tk20-Tk 30. Currently, the price of vermicelli made with ghee has increased to Tk800-1500, those made with dalda (hydrogenated vegetable cooking oil) have reached Tk200-250 per kg, and those made with soybean oil have reached Tk240 per kg.

AKM Mahfuzur Rahman, deputy general manager at Bogura BSCIC office, said, "Due to the good quality of vermicelli made in the district, Danish Foods Ltd and Banoful have set up factories in the Bscic Industrial Estate to source the product from local artisans."

Sada Semai or plain vermicelli, produced in Bogura, is also famous, but this year many factories have not been producing it due to labour shortage. ***