Real experiences, published anonymously and with permission.
A chanachur hawker of 42 years in Kishoreganj, in a Prothom Alo report
Food processingKishoreganj
Two or three taka a day saved out of a 15-taka labourer's wage made 120 taka: 30 for a tin, 70 for a saucepan and 20 for stock. Forty-two years on it has bought three shotok of land in town, a house and two master's degrees.
A muri maker in Ishwardi, Pabna, in a Samakal report
Food processingPabna
Chemical-free muri fried from dheki-husked rice with only salt and water sells at 160 taka a kg locally and 200 in Dhaka and Chattogram supershops, against 60-70 taka for machine-made packet muri; one woman earns 15,000 taka a month from frying.
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 food hotel owner in Jamalpur, in a Shomoyer Alo report
Food processingJamalpur
A plot bought for 350,000 taka in 2022 became a food hotel now taking 8,000-9,000 taka a day; the report gives no net profit or staff count.
Two dried-mango entrepreneurs in Chapai Nawabganj, in a Prothom Alo report
Food processingChapai Nawabganj
In their first season two entrepreneurs made 700 kg and 300 kg of dried mango and sold the lot, at 2,400 and 2,000 taka a kg. A maund of ripe mango yields only about 4 kg dried.
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 couple making balachao at home in Bashila, Dhaka, in a Prothom Alo report
Food processingDhaka
Balachao made at home since 2021 costs 800-1,000 taka a kg to produce and sells at 1,200-1,600. Output is 15-20 kg a day, and monthly sales have risen from an average of 3 lakh taka last year to 6-7 lakh.
A honey producer in Ullapara, Sirajganj, in a Prothom Alo report
Food processingSirajganj
In a normal week 150 boxes give 10 maunds - about 800 kg - of honey worth 130,000 taka. Fog and a minimum of 9 degrees kept the bees inside, knocking about 2,000 taka off boxes normally worth 10,000 each.
A commercial beekeeper in Sharsha, Jashore, in a Bangla Tribune report
Food processingJashore
Commercial beekeeping since 2007: around 250 boxes, about 2 kg of honey per colony every seven days, sold at 800-1,000 taka a kg, leaving 2.5 to 3 lakh taka a year after expenses.
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