Him Kala Bhujel, a local of Basantapur in Laligurans Municipality, is busy taking orders these days. She runs a small factory that manufactures a wide range of dhaka products.

Bhujel’s income has soared. But according to Bhujel, she is unable to fulfil the buyers' demand.

“Dhaka has become a reliable source of income for us,” said Bhujel. “The manufacturing process isn’t difficult either.”

Like Bhujel, around 27,000 individuals in the district are involved in dhaka manufacturing.

“The local entrepreneurs have increased their investment in dhaka production as demand has surged,” said Krishna Poudel, chief of the Cottage and Small Industries Office in Tehrathum.

The local governments in the district have been providing training and skills development programmes to promote dhaka.

The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, on July 4, last year declared Tehrathum as the ‘capital of dhaka’.

“We are working to increase the quality and quantity of the product through marketing, branding, designing and ensuring the product has its own collective trademark,” said Sanjay Kumar Tumbahangphe, mayor of Myanglung Municipality.

“The promotion of dhaka will uplift the industry and increase employment.”

More than 1,000 small and medium-scale industries are in operation in Tehrathum, according to the Cottage and Small Industries Office in the district.

Around 250 dhaka factories are in operation in Myanglung and the nearby city areas in the district.

Dhaka industries like Ujjwalata, Shram Jeevi, Parajuli, Phaktalung and Nabin Bikash are the big players.

“We are not able to fulfil the demand for dhaka products in the market,” said Ram Singh Ale, proprietor of Shramjeevi Dhaka Industry.

Ale added that such industries provide employment to a large number of people since the looms to make the product are operated manually by artisans.

Entrepreneurs say that they have been giving priority to insurgency-era victims, dalit, women, lower income and helpless people in the hiring process.

The workers' earnings range from Rs15,000 to Rs30,000 a month, according to the Office.

Besides the locals, individuals from Panchthar, Dhankuta, Sankhuwasabha, Ilam, Taplejung, Jhapa and Morang are also employed in such industries in Tehrathum.

Dhaka produced by these local industries is popular all over the country as ‘Tehrathum Dhaka’.

The entrepreneurs claimed the district alone produces dhaka worth Rs1 billion annually. Nearly Rs300 million goes into workers' salaries annually.

Cities such as Dharan, Itahari, Biratnagar, Damak, Pokhara, and Kathmandu are major markets for Tehrathum dhaka.

“All the family members are employed in a domestic industry owned by the family as it requires plenty of manpower to set up the loom, spin thread, create designs and weave cloth,” said Santa Bir Limbu, head of Chhathar Rural Municipality.

The local government is supporting the locals eager to set up the industry as it boosts employment as well as income of the locals, Limbu added.