Pragati Spice Industries

Pragati Spice Industries is a small operation we run out of Baman Para, in Ward No. 20. It is a place filled with the strong scents of different spices being processed and packed. We have been doing this for a long time in this neighborhood, and the smell of turmeric and chili is just a part of the daily life here now. Our facility isn't very large, just enough room for the grinding machines and the packing tables. It gets quite dusty with all the powders in the air, so we have to clean up constantly throughout the day. We are just a few local folks working here, and some of us have been together since the start. We don't have fancy packaging or big advertisements; we just put the spices into plain bags and get them ready for the market. Dealing with spices depends a lot on the seasons and what the farmers are bringing in. Sometimes the stock we get is great and sometimes we have to search a bit harder for the right stuff. The machines are old but they still work well enough if we take care of them properly. My hands are usually stained from the spices by the time I head home in the evening. It’s hard work and the spice dust can make you sneeze quite a bit, but it’s what we do. You can find us right in the heart of Ward 20.