Handcrafted cricket bat manufacturing factory has been set up at Maheshpur in Jhenaidah. They are making more than 200 small and big bats every day from their 3 factories and sending them to different parts of the country. And many have become star cricketers by shaking the field with this bat. They have been making this bat for the last 24 years. They employed 20-25 people. Rajendranath, Sadhan Das and Shyamal Das of Bathangachi village of upazila built this bat factory.
Going to Bathangachi Mistry Para village of Mandarbaria Upazila, one house and three small factories is being seen. Somewhere there is wood, small cutting machines, someone cleaning wood or applying cover. Talked to Rajendranath, the owner of a factory. He said, for the last 24 years, three brothers are managing three factories. Every day 100 to 200 different types of cricket bats are manufactured from this factory. They have 25 employees now. Buyers place advance orders for their bats from different parts of the country. They make bats at wholesale rates starting from Tk 50 to 300 depends on the type. He said that there is an average profit of Tk 40-50 per bat.
Rajendranath also said that they mainly collect bat wood from Jhenaidah Arappur. Bring the wood home and dry it well. These are small Carter machines, working on cleaning machines to set the bats with dough. After drying it well, it is marketed with a sticker on it.
He said that by making this bat by hand, he has built a solid house today, bought 3 bigha of land and a motorcycle. The employees working in the cricket bat manufacturing factory said that they have been involved in making this bat for a long time. They work per day at Tk 400-500. Small and big size bats are made here every day. Those who play cricket regularly buy bats from here.
Besides, traders from different parts of the country including Dhaka, Khulna, and Chittagong buy bats from this factory and sell them in their areas.
Shymal Das said, they want to expand this factory. Bats manufactured here are in great demand. We cannot deliver as ordered. However, if they provide financial support to government or private level institutions, they could have made this factory on a large scale.
Local social workers Harun-ur-Rashid and Sanjit Kumar said there is a huge demand for cricket bats made in their village. Here the bats are made entirely by hand. People from different districts come to this village to buy bats because they are made of good quality wood. If the government or private level institutions give them financial support, they can increase the size of this factory, many people will be employed here.
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