India gets 577 tonnes Bangla hilsa this puja

Kolkata: India received around 577 tonnes of hilsa from Bangladesh this Durga Puja. This is almost a fifth of the 2,420-tonne export to India that had been permitted for trade by the country’s commerce ministry on Sept 25. The data puts to rest fears expressed in Bangladesh about huge quantity of hilsa being exported to India at the expense of domestic demand.
Around 70% of the fish imported to India is sold in Kolkata and another 20% in the rest of the state.Tripura accounts for the remaining 10% hilsa import.

Fish Importers Association secretary Syed Anwar Maqsood, in a letter to Bangladesh foreign affairs ministry advisor Touhid Hossain, provided the data of fish imported via Benapole and Akhaura land custom stations during the 12 days from Sept 26 to Oct 10 before truck movement in Kolkata was restricted due to Durga Puja. The 22-day ban on hilsa fishing in Bangladesh commenced on Oct 13.
The highest amount of hilsa arrived in India on Oct 10, when nearly 90 tonnes had crossed the border. The second highest consignment was on Sept 5, when 70 tonnes reached India.
Speaking to TOI, Maqsood said it was important to share the data with Hossain as fears had been expressed in Bangladesh about hilsa being sent to India instead of catering to local demand.
“The quantity of hilsa that has come this year is the lowest amount in five years. Poor landing of fish in Bangladeshi harbours contributed to the export decline,” said Maqsood.
The fish arrived came from Chittagong, Cox Bazar, Dhaka, Barisal and Khulna. While the initial wholesale price was around Rs 1,800-Rs 1,900 per kg for hilsa of 1 kg size, it later fell to around Rs 1,600 per kg. Sources said the quality of fish that arrived was mixed.