Real experiences, published anonymously and with permission.
The owner of a garment factory in Mirpur, Dhaka, in a Prothom Alo report
Light manufacturing & workshopDhaka
Started in 2009 with 26 lakh taka of second-hand machines. Exports peaked at 41 lakh US dollars in 2023 and fell to 17 lakh by 2025; the factory closed in August 2026 with nine months of rent unpaid.
A husking rice mill owner in Adamdighi, Bogura, in a Prothom Alo report
Food processingBogura
A conventional husking mill spends about 2,400 taka a maund to produce rice that sells for 2,250, losing 150-200 taka on every maund. In the upazila 233 mills have closed and about 7,000 workers have lost their jobs.
A muri fryer in Kachua, Bagerhat, in a Dhaka Post report
Food processingBagerhat
Paddy at 1,500 taka a maund plus 200 to mill it, and 24 kg of muri from a maund: 75 taka a kg to make against 90 wholesale and 100 retail. At least 50 families have left the trade in four or five years.
An ice cream factory owner in Manikganj, in a Prothom Alo report
Food processingManikganj
A small factory ran for years under a name close to a well-known brand, with an unearned BSTI mark and no ingredient list, until a mobile court fined it 100,000 taka.
A woman trained in catering in Shyamnagar, Satkhira, in a Prothom Alo report
Food processingSatkhira
Catering training taken in 2022 never became work, because there was no money for equipment or ingredients. A survey of 2,000 trained women found 44 percent had set up nothing six months on.
A trained food-corner operator in East Sheorapara, Dhaka, in a Prothom Alo report
Food processingDhaka
A food corner handed to five trained women opened in May and closed in June, with only one still trying to keep it going. A survey found 44 percent of trained women had set up no work six months after training.
A shutki drying yard owner at Nazirartek, Cox's Bazar, in a Prothom Alo report
Food processingCox's Bazar
This Nazirartek drying yard produced about 500 metric tons last year and does not expect 200 this season. With no fish on the coast, about 600 of roughly 700 mahals have stopped production altogether.
A former pearl farmer in Jashore, in a Business Standard Bangla report
Agriculture & farmingJashore
Three lakh taka went into freshwater pearl culture, with about 100 ponds running between him and his trainees. The harvest was poor, there was no domestic buyer, and he abandoned the project after two years.
A cashew grower in Thanchi, Bandarban, in a Business Standard Bangla report
Agriculture & farmingBandarban
About 2,000 cashew trees gave this Thanchi grower 20 maunds this season, sold at 1,700 taka a maund against 3,200-3,700 the year before.
A mango orchard owner in Charghat, Rajshahi, in a Daily Inqilab report
Agriculture & farmingRajshahi
This orchard owner felled 5.5 bighas of Khirshapat, Langra and Amrapali trees: spraying, bagging, labour and irrigation costs had risen while the price of mangoes had not. About 100 hectares of orchard have been cleared in Charghat upazila in five years.
A watermelon farmer in Kalapara, Patuakhali, in a Daily Inqilab report
Agriculture & farmingPatuakhali
Twenty-one lakh taka went into 64 bighas of watermelon. The crop came in but buyers stayed away and the field price fell from 2,200 taka a maund to 1,200; he expects to lose about 12 lakh on the season.
An onion farmer in Rajbari, in a Daily Star Bangla report
Agriculture & farmingRajbari
He spent 470,000 taka on four and a half acres and harvested 600 maunds. He stored 450 of them waiting for a better price and about 90 percent rotted; he now expects to finish the season with under 100,000 taka.
