Blacksmith industry faces crisis amid rising costs and imports

In the age of modern industrialisation and the influx of cheap imported steel products, the indigenous traditional blacksmith industry is facing multiple challenges. Rising prices of coal, iron, and tools have significantly increased production costs.

As a result, many artisans struggle to sustain their livelihoods throughout the year, with some even being forced to leave their ancestral profession..

This year they are facing additional difficulties due to rising prices of tools and materials. People are flocking to blacksmith shops to buy essential items such as slaughtering knives, cleavers, and axes, while others are repairing or sharpening old tools.

This traditional industry is gradually declining due to shortages of raw materials and financial constraints. Many artisans said that rising prices of coal and raw materials have reduced their profit margins. Despite the current condition of the industry, they remain busy ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.

In Gafargaon upazila of Mymensingh, artisans in the blacksmith industry are busy day and night ahead of Eid-ul-Adha.

The workshops are filled with the dazzling glow of fire, the intense heat of coal, and the rhythmic sound of hammers striking iron.

As the holy Eid-ul-Azha approaches, activity in the blacksmith shops of the upazila has increased significantly. Artisans are working continuously to prepare tools for slaughtering sacrificial animals, such as axes, knives, and cleavers.

Although there is not much work in blacksmith shops throughout the rest of the year, Eid-ul-Azha is the peak season for this traditional industry. At present, coal fires are burning in the workshops, where raw iron is heated until it turns red-hot. It is then shaped by blowing air with bellows and striking it with heavy hammers to produce sharp tools.

The artisans believe that government support in the form of training and low-interest loans could help improve both the quality and quantity of production using modern equipment.

They have called for training, incentives, and long-term planning from both government and private sectors to sustain this industry. Metal tools are made from raw and spring iron, but demand for forged iron knives remains consistently high.

Craftsman Nitai Chandra Barman (65) said, while wiping sweat from his forehead, “There are only a few days left before Eid. We hardly have time to rest now. From dawn till late night, we work in front of the coal fire.

Even though our bodies burn with heat, we forget our hardships in the hope of earning a little extra income.”

Local craftsman Ranjan Karmakar (40) said these tools are usually made using spring iron and raw iron. Among them, products made from spring iron are of better quality and are in higher demand.

These axes, knives, and cleavers are sold by weight. Depending on the quality and type of iron, prices currently range from Tk 800 to Tk 1,000 per kg. Every year before Eid, buyers purchase new tools or repair old ones as needed.

Abul Hossain, a worker at Gafargaon Municipality, said there is little work during most of the year, but workload increases significantly during Eid-ul-Adha, leaving them with no rest even after working day and night.

Bikash Saha, a blacksmith from Gafargaon Bazar, said he has been earning a living in this profession for over 25 years. Even with Eid just days away, he is struggling to meet the demands of wholesale and retail customers and is unable to take proper meals on time.

Sellers said that depending on size and quality, knives are being sold for Tk 100 to Tk 450, cleavers for Tk 50 to Tk 300, small knives for up to Tk 50, bone-cutting knives for Tk 200 to Tk 400, and sharpening rods for Tk 50 to Tk 150. Sharpening or repairing old tools costs between Tk 50 and Tk 150.

Artisans hope that the government will take necessary initiatives to ensure the survival of this traditional industry by keeping coal and raw material prices affordable.