Hilsa from Bangladesh, which arrived in Bengal on Wednesday, will be available in at least three of Calcutta’s biggest bazaars on Thursday: Gariahat, Lake and Maniktala.
Fish importers, gung-ho about the pre-Puja market, said the prices were likely to vary between ₹1,600 and ₹ 1800 per kg for a fish weighing around a kg.
Last year, during Durga Puja, hilsa from Bangladesh sold at ₹1,600-2,000 a kg for a fish weighing around 1.5kg.
Bigger hilsas are usually tastier and more coveted. Many are hopeful that the next consignment from across the border comprises larger fish.
“It is difficult to predict the exact price for the variety of Bangladesh’s hilsa that will be available in the retail markets after auction. But connoisseurs of hilsa from Bangladesh know that it’s worth the pinch,” said Syed Anwar Maqsood, secretary, Fish Importers’ Association.
Besides the three, the hilsa from Bangladesh is likely to be available in several other retail markets across the city, importers said.
The first consignment was part of the 1,200 tonnes that Bangladesh’s commerce ministry cleared earlier this month for export to Bengal on the occasion of Durga Puja.
The decision to send hilsa came in response to an appeal made by fish importers from Calcutta sometime in July.
In a written communication to Touhid Hassan, the adviser of the foreign affairs ministry of Bangladesh, the importers urged the government to permit the export of hilsa in time for Durga Puja.
Last September, the interim government in Bangladesh allowed the export of 2,420 tonnes of Hilsa as a puja gift. However, only 577 tonnes of the silvery crop could be exported because of time constraints.
“...almost every year, we fail to get the promised quantity of hilsa fish because the export permits are time-bound. The entire quantity has to be exported within 30-45 days. Such a time frame is insufficient for exporting such a huge quantity (of Hilsa),” the importers said.
On Wednesday, the acting deputy high commissioner of Bangladesh in Calcutta, Sikder Mohammad Ashrafur, was present along with other senior officials at the border outpost in North 24-Parganas.
Gifting hilsa to India during Puja became a tradition under former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who would sanction around 3,000 tonnes. But after her ouster on August 5 last year, the new interim government initially denied export permission before finally relenting to appeals from Indian importers.