On the occasion of the upcoming Durga Puja, the Ministry of Commerce of Bangladesh has allowed the export of 3000 tons of hilsa fish to India on Saturday.
In an order signed by Sultana Akhtar, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce, it is said that on the occasion of the upcoming Durga Puja, the export of 3 thousand metric tons of hilsa fish has been approved subject to the fulfillment of the prescribed conditions.
The matter has also been informed to Kolkata's Fees Importers Association through e-mail. And after that there was a mood of happiness among the fishermen of West Bengal.
Syed Anwar Maqsood, general secretary of Fees Importers Association, said on Saturday, “We give a letter every year before Puja. Where an application is made for sending Hilsa. I made an application on September 9 this year as well. We have sent a request through e-mail to the relevant ministries of the country, so that the Bangladesh government sends us hilsa on the occasion of puja, like every year. But after that letter we got several negative reports and got a bit disappointed. We thought hilsa might not come this year. However, the good news came today. It has been confirmed by the Bangladesh government that we will be given 3,000 metric tons of hilsa."
After that he said, “We are very happy that we were able to collect it from the interim government of Bangladesh. Because we didn't have that much hope. Because the removal of the previous government, then the formation of a new interim government, all in all they were very busy. Still, bilateral trade is very important to both countries. In such a context, it is very good news that they have given us hilsa."
Maksud is also optimistic that if the Bangladesh government gives permission from the 25th, the fish will enter West Bengal from the 26th. In that case, he also hinted that the price of hilsa in the wholesale market of Kolkata could be 1500 to 1600 rupees per kg.
For the past few years, the Sheikh Hasina government has been exporting a certain amount of hilsa to India during the Puja season from August to October for the sake of courtesy. However, much less fish is exported than the quantity requested by the Calcutta Fish Importers Association. In 2021, 4600 tons of hilsa were allowed to be exported, but only 1300 metric tons were exported. Last year, 3950 tonnes of hilsa were allowed to be exported, but West Bengal got only 1300 metric tonnes.
Regarding the reason for this variation, Maksud said, “In this case, it depends on the landing of the fish and the time period. If the fish lands well, 15-20 cars can enter. In that case, if there are two cars, the whole fish may not enter. Because a car can carry five to six tons of fish. That is why we are not getting fish as per our demand for the last few years.”
He also said, “Since 2012, there was a ban on the export of Hilsa. Although the Bangladesh authorities are giving a certain amount of hilsa during the puja season with special permission. In the coming days, a letter will be sent to the Bangladesh government to inform them that the ban, which has been in place since 2012, should be lifted."
Syed Anwar Maqsood refuted claims that the price of hilsa in Bangladesh is increasing due to hilsa being sent to India. He said, “This claim is not acceptable at all. This is because if your domestic market is strong, no one will export anywhere. Moreover, the amount of fish exported to India does not come into any calculation. So it is nothing more than a rant.”
Chandan Kumar Mandal, a fishmonger at Howrah Wholesale Fish Market, said, "We were all upset." The previous government of Bangladesh used to give us hilsa for the last five years, but a decision was taken not to export hilsa from the beginning of this year. But today we came to know that Bangladesh will give 3000 tons of Hilsa to India during Puja season. Everyone has an interest in this silver hilsa of Bangladesh, we are very happy as a fishmonger in that regard.”
He also said, "Although Hilsa comes to West Bengal from different parts of India, Bangladesh Hilsa is incomparable in taste and smell. As a result, there is always a demand for it.”
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