As monsoon waters revive transport and fishing needs, Patkelghata’s workshops are working day and night, though rising raw material costs and limited finance remain major concerns.
Boatmakers in the traditional Patkelghata boatmaking hub of Tala upazila in southwestern Bangladesh’s Satkhira district are expecting sales of at least Tk4 crore this monsoon season as demand rises from fishers, fish-farm owners and traders across the region.
Heavy rains during the Bengali monsoon months of Ashar and Shraban have filled rivers, canals, wetlands and fish enclosures, bringing fresh momentum to the boatyards that stretch from Boli Field intersection to Majumdar Petrol Pump along the Khulna-Satkhira highway.
Known for quality timber, durable structures and long-lasting boats, Patkelghata-made vessels have earned a reputation across Bangladesh’s southwest.
Although sales remain relatively slow during other times of the year, buyers have begun crowding the area with the onset of the rains. Fishers, enclosure owners and fish farmers from Satkhira, Khulna, Jashore, Bagerhat and Narail districts arrive daily to buy boats suited to their needs.
A visit to the area found workers busy at 15 workshops on both sides of the highway, where the sound of hammers and saws continues through the day and night. More than 200 experienced craftsmen are now working in the boatmaking cluster.
Small and large dinghies, kosha boats, sailboats and engine-powered trawlers of different sizes are being built with mahogany, khai, chambal, rain tree, shirish and pitraj timber. Prices vary depending on wood type and size.
Small dinghies sell for Tk10,000 to Tk25,000. A five-hand boat made of shirish timber costs Tk13,000 to Tk15,000, while a 15-hand khai timber boat sells for Tk20,000 to Tk26,000. A 45-hand engine-powered trawler costs from Tk50,000 to Tk1.5 lakh or more.
Abdul Alim, a carpenter who has been making boats for 30 years, said it takes three to four days to build a boat measuring 15 to 20 hands.
“After finishing the work, we get Tk4,000 to Tk5,000 as wages,” he said. “We provide only the labour; the owner supplies all materials, including timber, nails, tar and wire.”
Craftsman Sabur Hossain and Sheikh Anwar Hossain, owner of Messrs Oishi Boat Factory, said profits had fallen despite hard labour because raw material prices had risen abnormally.
They said shortages of raw materials, lack of capital and limited access to modern technology were the main barriers to expanding the business.
Md Akhtaruzzaman, owner of Toyeba Boat Factory, who has long been involved in boatmaking, said the local industry could not expand because entrepreneurs were not getting bank loans on easy terms.
Barun Dash, a fisherman from coastal Shyamnagar upazila who came to buy a boat, said Patkelghata’s craftsmen make the best boats in Satkhira.
“Whenever we need one, we come here,” he said.
After completing a purchase, Suresh Mondal, a fisherman from Tala upazila, was taking a new 15-hand boat to the landing station. Like him, many people remain closely tied to Patkelghata’s boatmaking industry for their livelihoods.
Gaurab Das, deputy manager of the Satkhira office of Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation, the state agency that supports small and cottage industries, said BSCIC was taking various initiatives to keep the traditional industry alive.
He said Patkelghata’s boatbuilding entrepreneurs would gradually be brought under BSCIC registration, receive training to improve their skills and, upon application, get all necessary administrative support to access bank loans on easy terms and at low interest.
