Prices soar as Kolkata renews love affair with fish

KOLKATA: Fish prices in the city have hit record levels as Kolkatans shun meat in the wake of the carcass controversy. Prices of regular varieties like rohu, katla, tangra and pabda have shot up by Rs 75-150 a kg following a surge in demand.

While fish has always been a part of the daily diet of an average Bengali household, now even other communities, who prefer meat for their dietary needs, have suddenly discovered their love for fish. In Bengali households where mutton and chicken dishes usually figure on the Sunday menu, it has been fish all the way these past couple of weeks.

Not just homes, even restaurants and caterers have reported a shift from mughlai, continental and Chinese cuisines to Bengali that has a wide variety of fish dishes on the menu.

“Price of fish across categories has gone up by 17-20% in the wholesale market. It is a record high. We have never traded fish at this price,” said Howrah Wholesale Fish Market Association secretary Syed Anwar Maqsood.

The rise in fish prices in the wholesale market has translated to an even steeper hike in retail prices, but the demand surge has not led to a supply shortage. State fisheries minister Chandrakanta Sinha confirmed there was enough supply in the market to meet the demand. Yet, prices have continued to soar.

At municipal markets in Gariahat, Lake Market, New Market and Manicktala, price of katla has shot up from Rs 240 a kg a couple of weeks ago to Rs 350-400. Rohu has gone up from Rs 130 to Rs 160-170.

Market observers put the sharp hike in prices to opportunism at the retail end. “A retail fish seller senses the demand and accordingly hikes the price to maximise his profit. That is what’s happened,” said Jagannath Raut of Behala wholesale fish market.

Caterers are having a harrowing time with clients demanding major changes in the menu at the 11th hour. According to Sandip Das of Diamond Caterer, mutton and chicken items have nearly disappeared from the menu. “Now everyone is demanding that meat items be replaced by fish and prawn. This has thrown the costing of dishes haywire,” said Das.

“We are reinventing a lot of fish dishes to stay afloat,” said Sujoy Ghosh of Bhawanipore’s Ghosh Caterers. Reshmi kebab and mutton do peyazja have been replaced with prawn cutlet and fish coriander. Baked tomato betki has edged out roast mutton.

In restaurants, too, fish and prawn items are moving faster than usual. Peter Cat and Mocambo owner Nitin Kothari said the slump in demand for chicken and mutton items was significant.

Metro Cash and Carry, the leading business-to-business wholesaler that supplies both meat and fish to most big hotels and restaurants in the city, has also experienced a sharp rise in demand for fish.