On a busy afternoon along Manik Mia Avenue, the air buzzes with the aroma of sizzling Mundi and Laksu, as crowds gather around colourful Indigenous food stalls. Young men and women deftly serve customers, balancing orders with practiced ease.
“Ten years ago, Indigenous foods from the hills were rare in Dhaka. Now they are much easier to find,” Tarek Al Hasan, a Bengali customer and food enthusiast, told TIMES of Bangladesh. The city’s growing Indigenous population, drawn by education and jobs, is sharing its culture and cuisine with a wider audience. This influence is visible in the rising number of food carts and stalls, while major supermarkets increasingly stock fruits, vegetables, and other products from the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Demand from Bengali consumers is expanding the market, prompting Indigenous entrepreneurs to broaden retail outlets, strengthen supply networks, and partner with supermarkets.
Getting started as a second income source
For many Indigenous youths, food carts have become a practical way to supplement income. Jewel Tanchangya works a regular job while running a food cart, generating around Tk 8,000 to Tk 10,000 daily. Similarly, Surmi Chakma, a University of Dhaka student, earns Tk 7,000 to Tk 8,000 per day while promoting traditional Indigenous cuisine.
Today, Indigenous-run mobile stalls operate at 10 to 15 locations across Dhaka, reflecting both growing demand and the community’s engagement in small-scale entrepreneurship. Around 35 to 40 entrepreneurs are now involved in CHT-related businesses, ranging from restaurants and food carts to clothing, ornaments, and trading vegetables and tropical fruits.
Traditional kitchens to expanding markets
Dhaka hosts several well-known Indigenous culinary outlets, including Hebaang in Mirpur and Mohammadpur, ROAZA, CHT Culinary, Seberang, Jummo Kitchen, and CHT Express. Bodhisattva Chakma of Hebaang Mohammadpur said that while most early customers were Indigenous, the number of Bengali patrons has steadily grown, and the current customer base is nearly evenly split. “In the beginning, we served around 5 to 7 customers a day. Now it ranges between 15 and 20, depending on the season,” he told TIMES.
Subhimal Chakma, an Agriculture graduate, turned to entrepreneurship to support the Jumma community. He now runs Hill Bazar and supplies hill and jhum vegetables to Swapna outlets, ensuring fair prices for farmers and bringing organic hill produce to mainstream consumers. Amit Chakma runs Ranno Jummo Ghar and supplies Meena Bazar outlets in Dhanmondi 27 and Bashundhara. Since 2009, his customer base has shifted from mostly Indigenous communities to 60–70 per cent Bengali consumers, reflecting growing urban interest in hill products.
Meena Bazar Assistant Manager Mohammad Kabirul Islam told TIMES that hill products have been stocked in select outlets for 7–8 years, depending on demand and vendor supply. Faysal Mehedi from Swapna’s Communication Department added that due to vendor risk, items are supplied in small batches, focusing on outlets with higher demand.
Customers on hill products
Mohammed Azharul Islam, a regular at Hill Bazar in Mohammadpur, said he prefers fresh, organic, and preservative-free produce, especially jhum-grown vegetables. While acknowledging the higher prices, he said costs reflect production, transportation, and limited supply, and added that the quality and ecological value justify the price. He frequently buys items such as Marfa, Roktofol, Tokfol, papaya, jackfruit, and pineapple.
Farhana, a resident of Green Road, said she also prefers fruits and vegetables from the Chittagong Hill Tracts for their freshness and authenticity. Such products were rare in Dhaka a decade ago but are now more accessible, though prices remain Tk 30–40 higher than mainstream markets, she added.
Oitizzo Chakma said hill products often sell for nearly double in Dhaka due to transportation, shop rent, staff costs, and middlemen. Many Indigenous people cannot afford these prices and rely on relatives traveling from the hills to bring vegetables, fruits, and other items. Nebai Khumi recalled noticing Hebaang around 2015–16, followed by outlets such as CHT Culinary, Hebang Mohammadpur, Java, Pahar Theke, and Mungdi Pahari Khabar.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, many Indigenous youths started food carts and street stalls. Economic hardship, poverty, and insecurity in the hills have pushed families below the poverty line, making small businesses a vital source of livelihood.
Rising fruit production in the hills
Cultivation of both traditional and non-traditional fruits in the hill regions is steadily increasing. Litchi, orange, dragon fruit, Bolshundori plum, rambutan, cashew nut, coffee, Malta, star fruit, and sapodilla have all seen significant growth. Last fiscal year, fruits worth over Tk 2,000 crore were sold across the three hill districts—the highest ever recorded.
Interest in mango, papaya, and pineapple has surged over the past decade. Mango production exceeded 200,000 tonnes, with Bandarban leading at 112,000 tonnes, Khagrachhari at 54,000 tonnes, and Rangamati at 36,200 tonnes. Pineapple output surpassed 200,000 tonnes, while papaya reached 181,000 tonnes.
Mohammed Aminur Islam of the Department of Agricultural Extension told TIMES that around 70 per cent of pineapples and 60 per cent of bananas are transported outside the region, with the rest meeting local demand. Pineapples sell for nearly double in Dhaka.
Mango exports face infrastructure challenges, though private orchards in Bandarban, such as Meridian, use modern techniques including canopy management, bagging, and quality control to enhance export potential.
Cashew nuts are mainly processed locally, while dragon fruit from Khagrachhari reaches Dhaka in limited quantities. About 30 per cent of jhum vegetables, including pumpkins and gourds, are supplied outside the local market.
Fruit production trends in Bangladesh
Fruit production in Bangladesh has steadily risen over the past three fiscal years, reaching 1,834,819 metric tonnes in 2022–23, 1,880,263 tonnes in 2023–24, and 2,027,701 tonnes in 2024–25. Over the same period, jackfruit production remained around 288,000–289,000 tonnes, banana output grew from 655,304 to 811,266 tonnes, and pineapple ranged between 201,142 and 206,054 tonnes.
