Bangladesh will export over 2,000 tonnes of hilsa to Bengal as part of a Puja gift.
The ministry of commerce of the Sheikh Hasina government issued a notification on Monday permitting 52 hilsa traders in that country to export 40 tonnes each of the silver crop from the Padma to Bengal.
The ministry’s order has said the permission for export of hilsa will be valid till October 10, which happens to be Panchami.
Last year, the neighbour had sent 1,400 tonnes of the fish to Bengal ahead of Puja.
The fish, packed in styrofoam boxes, will start reaching Kolkata from next week and will be delivered in phases by trucks crossing the Petrapole border near Bongaon in North 24-Parganas.
“This is such a huge gift for all of us. We hope the consignments will start reaching Kolkata from Wednesday,” said Syed Anwar Maqsood, secretary of the West Bengal Fish Importers’ Association.
“The weight of each fish will vary between 800g and 1.2kg. Hopefully, hilsa lovers will get to taste some good Padma ilish.”
Kolkata’s fish traders were keenly waiting for the clearance from Dhaka because there has been hardly any domestic yield this time and the stock of the Myanmar variety is almost over.
Once the Padma variety reaches Kolkata, traders said consignments will be sent to far-off districts based on the demand from various markets.
A separate consignment will be kept dedicated for Kolkata and Howrah’s wholesale and retail markets.
“We hope the price will be such that everyone can afford the hilsa from Bangladesh,” Anwar said.
The production of Hilsa in Bengal has dwindled from around 80,000 tonnes in 2001 to 15,000 tonnes in 2013 and 10,000 tonnes in 2017, largely because of excess fishing in the Bay of Bengal.
“It will be great if we cross the 1,000-tonne mark this time,” said Bijan Maity, secretary of the Kakdwip Fishermen Welfare Association.
The Bengal government has banned the catching of hilsa between April 15 and June 14, which is the breeding season of the fish.
Bangladesh, in comparison, has been able to check the declining hilsa population by banning fishing during the breeding period and establishing sanctuaries for the fish.
