Only 172 tonnes of hilsa fish exported to India
Asif Showkat Kallol || BusinessInsider
Photo: Representational
Bangladeshi exporters shipped only 172 tonnes of hilsa fish to West Bengal until Thursday with the advent of Durga Puja, the largest festival of Hindu Community, an official of the commerce ministry said.
The hilsa consignments are considered ‘distinctive’ as the Bangladesh government acted generously to lift a temporary ban on the savouring fish’s export.
A ‘special permission’ was issued to some 115 Bangladeshi exporters to ship a total of 4,600 tonnes of hilsa in two phases with the latest one ending October 3. Of them, 18 could export hilsa.
“We have received an appeal from the local exporters for a time extension to fulfil the export quota,” said a commerce ministry official who requested anonymity.
Exporters are not able to ship the fish as a routine 3-week moratorium on its catch was enforced on October 4, he added.
“We may face losses by exporting hilsa fish to West Bengal due to exorbitant price of the fish which is Tk 1,200 for one and a half kg fish at the local market,” said Anower Hossain, an exporter and proprietor of M/S Anower Brothers.
Anower who sends fish consignments to Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, said, “We hope that the government will extend the deadline so that we could resume exports after the moratorium is over.”
He said the exporters have also extended a plea to Mamata Bannerjee for allowing importation of hilsa by their traders after Bangladesh resumes netting of the fish.
Anower said a large number of local exporters have already opened export documents for exporting hilsa to India.
Bangladesh abruptly stopped sending hilsa to India in 2012 as local catch declined substantially. However, hilsas’ fishy journey to India could not be stopped, amid such a cessation. Some fishermen alleged that illegal shipment was sailing through the Bay of Bengal.
Last year despite the Covid-19 pandemic, around 1,850 metric tonnes of hilsa made its way to India compared to 500-MT in 2019.
Bangladesh now accounts for around three-fourth of the world’s hilsa production.
