Real experiences, published anonymously and with permission.
A migrant worker and jujube grower from Lohagara, Chattogram, with an orchard on the family pond bank
Agriculture & farmingChattogram
A migrant worker from Lohagara, Chattogram, planted 100 Bolshundori jujube trees on a pond bank as a hobby. The first-year cost was Tk 60,000, and a season's sales now bring in about Tk 9 lakh.
A fish arot at Alipur fish landing centre, Kuakata, and the owner of a trawler selling through it
Retail & wholesalePatuakhali
At an arot at Alipur fish landing centre in Patuakhali, one trawler's 195 maunds of hilsa sold at auction for Tk 40.14 lakh. The trawler owner said catches had been low for a long time and caused losses, which this sale would partly make up.
A dairy farmer in Kashiani, Gopalganj, who owns a cattle farm and a sweets-and-yogurt factory
Food processingGopalganj
A former bank employee in Kashiani, Gopalganj, started with two goats in 2017 and in seven years built a 120-cattle dairy farm and a sweets-and-yogurt factory from its milk. The farm yields Tk 1.0897 crore profit a year.
An early-vegetable farmer in Madanpur union, Daulatkhan, Bhola
Agriculture & farmingBhola
A farmer in Daulatkhan, Bhola, grew early vegetables on 7.5 acres and lost about Tk 17 lakh when Cyclone Midhili brought tides and rain. Replanting set him back about a month and a half, prices fell, and sales only covered harvesting and carrying costs.
A woman entrepreneur in Cox's Bazar who makes fish chips
Food processingCox's Bazar
A woman in Cox's Bazar started making sea-fish chips after two earlier ventures stopped. From a three-room rented flat she sells 700 kg a month and keeps over Tk 1 lakh in profit after costs.
A young entrepreneur in Khulna who sells ready-to-cook country fish online
Retail & wholesaleKhulna
An educated young man from Khulna, unable to find a job, built an online business that collects country fish from ghers and ponds, processes it and delivers it to Dhaka and other cities. It now supplies over 40 species online and wholesale.
Two master's students at the University of Chittagong selling jerseys at the railway station
Retail & wholesaleChattogram
Two Chittagong University students started selling at the university railway station with 13 jerseys for the World Cup. Reinvesting their sales, they sold about 400 jerseys in roughly two months.
A garol sheep farmer on the Shakhahati char, Chilmari, Kurigram, a retired army man
Agriculture & farmingKurigram
A retired army man began a farm in a remote char of Chilmari, Kurigram, in 2022 with garol sheep brought from India. In the past year he sold more than 80 lambs for Tk 4.93 lakh.
A woman entrepreneur in Rangpur city selling hand-worked clothes through a Facebook page
Retail & wholesaleRangpur
A woman in Rangpur began selling hand-stitched clothes through a Facebook page in 2021. After losing about Tk 45,000 to a fraud, she restarted in 2023 and now sells Tk 3-4 lakh a month, with more than 50 women working with her.
A mushroom grower in Rangpur city, a young polytechnic diploma-holder
Agriculture & farmingRangpur
A young man in Rangpur sold his studio and equipment to pay for his mother's treatment. He began mushroom farming in 2022 from YouTube videos and lost all his first cylinders; after training he restarted and now makes Tk 60-70 thousand profit a month from fresh mushrooms, spawn and food products.
A woman farmer and entrepreneur in Ghonabari village, Patgram, Lalmonirhat
Agriculture & farmingLalmonirhat
A woman farmer in Patgram, Lalmonirhat planted maize in the same 1.5-acre field about a month after planting potatoes. The potato crop cost about Tk 90,000, and she plans three crops a year: potato, maize and aman rice.
A shopkeeper couple in Panjia village, Keshabpur, Jashore
Food processingJashore
A shopkeeper in Keshabpur who could not get company ice cream began making his own. Plain milk-and-sugar ice cream did not sell; after his wife suggested adding cashews, raisins, sandesh and cream, sales shot up.
This page cannot be printed or saved. Read it on ayrojgar.com.