The flood has affected about 80 percent handlooms across the country throwing thousands of weavers and their families into great miseries, they said.

The weavers who run their business with small amount of capital do not have the financial strength to recuperate the loss caused by the flooding.

"If the government does not take initiative for rehabilitating the weavers, I think 30 percent of them will be forced to close their looms," said Khondaker Jainal Abedin, owner of Jainal Silk Industries, Mirpur talking to The Daily Star.

Jainal along with 45 handloom owners from different parts of the country took part in a handloom fair that ended Sunday at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy premises.

Bangladesh Handloom Board organised the seven-week fair to popularise the traditional handloom products and protect the manufacturers. Board officials said the participants have sold products worth about Tk 4.50 crore during the fair.

Jainal said the demand for handloom products in the world market is increasing day by day. "So the government should take initiative to promote the sector."

At present, handloom products are exported to India and some Middle East countries, said MR Mostak, proprietor of Muslin Jamdani Weaving Factory.

"Within short time we'll export handloom products to Canada and UK as the buyers have shown their interest to import our products", he added.

Talking to The Daily Star, the participants said high price of yarn is a big problem for the weavers. They demanded reduction of import duty especially on silk yarn.

"If the government reduces the duty, we'll be able to expand the export market competing with other handloom producing countries," said Jainal.

Speaking at the closing function of the fair, Textiles and Jute Minister Shajahan Siraj said government has taken a Tk 50 crore programme for promoting the handloom sector.

"Under this programme we have already disbursed Tk 30 crore among 22,000 handloom entrepreneurs" he said. "We have decided to increase the allocation to Tk 100 crore."

About the plot allocation problem in the Mirpur Benarasi Palli in Dhaka, the minister assured the entrepreneurs of allocating 906 plots within next three months.

Azizul Islam, secretary in-charge of Textiles and Jute Ministry, Abu Solaiman Chowdhury, secretary in-charge of Cultural Affairs Ministry, and Abdus Salam, chairman of Bangladesh Handloom Board, also spoke at the function.