Near the Burmese School in Cox's Bazar town, several vendors from indigenous communities, most of them women, were seen on both sides of the road in a simple, modest market setup.
These vendors come on Tuesdays and Saturdays from different hilly areas of neighbouring Bandarban district with leafy vegetables, fruits, sweet potatoes, sticky rice, pumpkins, and hill-style rice cakes.
Tang Tho, a vendor, said the items are either grown in their own fields or collected from their local areas.
Vendors said they arrive at dawn by CNG-run autorickshaws.
There is very little use of polythene at the market. Items are packaged using banana leaves tied with strips of banana tree bark and kept in bamboo baskets. Buyers bring their own bags.
Here, goods are not sold at any fixed rate based on weight; rather, sellers and buyers bargain to agree on a price. The prices are usually reasonable.
Local Rakhine community members are the main buyers at this market, alongside other hill communities and Bangalees.
"Everything here is organic and chemical-free," said Fazlul Karim, a local resident.
Mache Sing, a woman vendor from Lama upazila, said they travel long distances, so they cannot reduce the prices too much. "Usually, I earn between Tk 1,000-1,500 on a market day."
Alongside vegetables, the vendors also bring various types of hill-style rice cakes.
Some Bangalee vendors also sell dried fish at the market.
Several vendors, however, complained of occasionally facing harassment on the way.
"A few indigenous women started sitting here around 2022. Gradually this hill market became popular, with around 30-35 vendors coming twice a week," said Mong Wan Rakhine, an employee of Cox's Bazar Municipality.