Money & Work
Cashew farmers in Bangladesh work together in cooperatives
Putuli Kheyang, 57, leads a cashew farmers' cooperative in the Chattogram Hill Tracts and tells her story in an ILO feature.
In Bangladesh's Chattogram Hill Tracts, cashew farmers have been working together in cooperatives. On October 15, 2026, the International Labour Organization, or ILO, shared the story of one of their leaders. In an ILO Voices feature, Putuli Kheyang describes her work in her own words.
Putuli Kheyang is 57 and belongs to the Kheyang Indigenous community in Bandarban. She has farmed for more than 25 years, and farming is her main source of income. Today she grows cashews, bananas and mangoes on around four acres.
Word in this story
A business or group that is owned and run by its members, who work together for shared needs.
Her fellow farmers chose her to be the president of their cooperative.