The two-day 5th Indigenous Food and Seed Fair 2026 will be held on 6 and 7 November at the Parbatya Bouddha Sangha Complex in Mirpur-13, Dhaka.
Jointly organised by development organisation Nagorik Uddyog and Adivasi Suhrid, the fair will bring together entrepreneurs from the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) and plainland Indigenous communities, including the Mandi, Manipuri, Santal and Rakhine. Priority has been given to Indigenous women entrepreneurs in stall allocations.
The fair will showcase traditional Indigenous cuisine, including CHT dishes made with bamboo shoots (banshkorah), banana-leaf-cooked hebang, Jum vegetable dishes and pajon. Visitors will also find Manipuri, Garo and Rakhine food items, including pitha made from black and white binni rice, mundi, the Manipuri lentil delicacy uti and sangom, a kheer prepared with binni rice and milk.
Other attractions will include lakso, a spicy dish made with fresh fruits, different varieties of binni rice, hill honey, poison-free Jum vegetables, hill bananas, Madhupur pineapples, papayas, dried fish and fish from Kaptai Lake.
The chief executive of Nagorik Uddyog said the fair aims to introduce urban residents to traditional Indigenous cuisine, diverse grains and Jum cultivation while providing Indigenous entrepreneurs with a wider consumer platform.
Co-organiser Mainthin Promila said the event also seeks to promote Indigenous food culture as part of Bangladesh’s pluralistic heritage and build a bridge between Indigenous and Bengali food traditions.
The fair will remain open from 10am to 9pm daily. Senior journalist and freedom fighter Abu Sayeed Khan will inaugurate it on 6 November at 10am.
Cultural programmes featuring musical performances by Bangladesh Idol Mong, Barsha Chakma, Bulu Tanchangya and Garo artist Markus Chisim, alongside traditional dances by artists from the hills and plains, will be held on both evenings.
The venue is a five-minute rickshaw ride from Mirpur-10 Metro Rail Station, beside Scholastica and SOS Children’s Village and opposite the BRTA office.
