Bangladesh halves Hilsa exports to India, units Rs 1,100/kg flooring worth forward of festive season

Bangladesh has allowed export of 1,200 tonnes of Hilsa to India, which is half of the amount that it had permitted in 2024 across the identical time. The Bangla authorities has mounted the minimal worth of Hilsa exports at Rs 1,100 per kg ($12.5/kg), simply forward of the festive season contemplating this fish is extensively thought to be the connoisseur's alternative.

ET had reviewed a duplicate of the notification issued by the Bangladesh authorities. The federal government within the notification has requested its importers to be prepared with all paperwork for exports to India by September 11.

Syed Anwar Maqsood, secretary of the Fish Importers Affiliation in India, stated the exports will start later this week. “Bangladesh's personal Hilsa touchdown has not been good this yr. That's the reason the quantity of exports is much less,” he stated.
Final yr, though the Bangla authorities had allowed 2420 tonnes of Hilsa export, solely 577 tonnes of hilsa might enter in India because the time interval of a month was not sufficient to import the complete quantity.

Since 2012, Bangladesh has not been exporting hilsa in order that their very own demand is met and small-sized hilsa should not caught and bought out there. However forward of the festive season in India, Sheikh Hasina's authorities would at all times permit some export to India as a Durga Pujo reward. The hilsa would enter West Bengal from Bangladesh by the Petrapole land border after which rerouted throughout the nation.

There was apprehension that the interim authorities in Bangladesh below Muhammad Yunus wouldn't export Hilsa to India. “The Hilsa diplomacy appears to be working as for 2 successive years the Yunus authorities has allowed exports,” stated Maqsood. Whereas native retail worth of Bangladesh hilsa just isn't but mounted, merchants count on it might vary between Rs 1,700-2000 per kg relying on the scale. Hilsa costs this yr has been various between Rs 1200-1400 per kg with many of the catch coming from Bharuch in Gujarat with extreme scarcity in provides from West Bengal. The Bengal catch is generally juvenile hilsa weighing between 200-400 gm caught from Bay of Bengal which is unlawful and doesn't style so properly. This rampant fishing of juvenile hilsa is inflicting extreme injury to the hilsa ecosystem within the river Ganges estuary. Fishermen use fantastic mesh nets to catch even the smallest fish.

Bangladesh hilsa is taken into account a delicacy, popularly generally known as ‘Padmar ilish' (hilsa from river Padma in Bangladesh) and is believed to be of superior high quality and style.