Cotton-Centric Textile Education System in Bangladesh: Change is the Call of the Time.

Everyone involved in the textile sector is well aware of the current state of the spinning industry in Bangladesh. If we investigate the reasons behind this dire situation, two causes stand out:

1. Shortage of gas or fuel oil in the country

2. Shortage of raw materials, namely cotton. Bangladesh’s spinning mills are 100% dependent on imported cotton. Our country mainly imports cotton from India, the USA, and Uzbekistan. Currently, India has not only tightened restrictions on cotton exports, but they are also exporting yarn to us at dumping prices. If Bangladesh’s spinning industry collapses, India will suddenly increase yarn prices, leading our knitwear industry to a similar fate.

The issue regarding gas or fuel oil is universal, and it affects not only spinning or textile industries but all heavy industries.

The second problem is mainly geographical. Overcoming it is almost impossible without technological knowledge and a change in mindset. Commercial cotton cultivation in Bangladesh is likely impossible; in this densely populated country where even food production is insufficient, the thought of producing cotton is difficult. Cotton cultivation is time-consuming, requiring about 270 days. Some suggest jute as an alternative—jute is indeed a very important fiber—but it is not yet a substitute for cotton. Structurally, jute is different from cotton. However, apart from clothing, we can easily utilize jute for other purposes, such as packing, home textiles, carpets, fancy items, etc. For this, technological knowledge is necessary. The responsibility to provide this knowledge lies with textile educational institutions, chief among them the Textile University. The Textile University already has all the infrastructure needed to teach Jute Technology [but what is lacking is the willpower of our teachers and students. Our thinking is market-driven—students’ first choice is whatever has good market value. Currently, only about 10% of the entire syllabus is devoted to jute technology, whereas nearly 80% of it focuses on cotton processing. Since becoming a university, there has been talk of introducing new departments and subjects, but opening a separate jute technology subject is yet to be considered.]

Now, let’s see what can be used in place of cotton—although there are few true alternatives, blending can be considered to reduce cotton consumption. Cotton is mainly blended with modal, viscose, etc. Here too, we lack technological knowledge. From my personal experience, I have seen that for viscose or modal, we rely on India; along with cotton, we have to import these as well.

That’s not all—Lycra, a yarn essential for the knitting industry, is also not produced in our country. We have to source it from countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, India, and Thailand. No one in our country even imagines producing these artificial fibers. Now, we must think seriously about whether we want to produce yarn domestically. If so, we must move beyond cotton—there seems to be no other option. We need to produce man-made fiber in this country (from home-made polymer chips, not imported ones).

We hope that the Textile University will move beyond the confines of cotton and embrace modern textile technology. Bangladesh will produce Spandex, Rayon, Modal, viscose, Milk fiber, and with that, the spinning industry will see new light (though not the traditional cotton spinning).

By the courtesy of: www.textilebloggers.net