Night chitoi pitha at a ferry ghat: 10 kg of rice flour sells about Tk 3,000, profit Tk 800-1,000

At the Charkhali ferry ghat on the Pirojpur-Patharghata road in Bhandaria upazila, Pirojpur, a 30-year-old man runs a temporary pitha stall at night. He fishes in the river by day and, for extra income, makes chitoi pitha on three clay stoves at night. He begins in the evening and sales run until about 3 am. According to the Prothom Alo report, he makes pitha from 10 kg of rice flour each night, which sells for about Tk 3,000. After costs he is left with Tk 800 to 1,000. Each pitha costs Tk 5, with green chilli and shrimp bharta free. He grinds rice in a machine in the afternoon and brings hot water from home. Most of his customers are truck drivers and helpers on the night run who carry fish from Patharghata and wait at the ghat for the ferry, when no other shop is open. He never mixes wheat flour or maida into the rice flour. A customer rarely eats fewer than 8 to 10 at a time. When fog stops the ferry, the pitha sells out earlier; when the ferry runs normally it finishes a little later. He pays no rent, has no helper and does everything himself. The night income is a useful extra for his household.