Durga Puja in West Bengal is the most unique. During the Durga Puja season, the aroma of Hilsa cooked in mustard oil wafts from every Bengali home in the state. But this year this aroma may fade because after the fall of Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh, the interim government there has banned the export of Hilsa fish. Due to the ban, there is a shortage of Bangladeshi Ilish (Bengali people know Hilsa as Ilish) before Durga Puja and its prices are skyrocketing.
However, Hilsa has found a way to reach India bypassing the ban. Hilsa, which is found in the Padma river of Bangladesh, is expected to become available just before Durga Puja. However, its price will be high.
Bengalis of West Bengal like to eat Hilsa fish with Khichdi during Durga Puja and every year it is imported in large quantities from Bangladesh. But this year there has been a big political change in Bangladesh and this decision of the interim government of the country has increased the concerns of Hilsa lovers.
The ban is a reversal of the age-old tradition of Bangladesh sending large consignments of Hilsa fish to West Bengal during the festive season, a tradition started by Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina to promote goodwill.
The price of Hilsa fish is skyrocketing
In recent years, the price of Hilsa in Bangladesh has been skyrocketing, due to which the government had banned its export from 2012 to 2020, but even during this period there was some relaxation in the export of Hilsa to India.
Farida Akhtar, advisor to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock of Bangladesh, said that the export of Hilsa to India has been banned to ensure local supply.
Farida Akhtar had said last week, “Unless there is enough of it for our own people, we cannot allow the export of Hilsa. This year, I have directed the Commerce Ministry to stop the export of Hilsa to India during Durga Puja.”
Bangladesh produces about 70% of the world’s Hilsa and this fish is also the national fish of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh had banned the export of Hilsa to China since 2012 due to the dispute over the Teesta river water-sharing agreement. But due to this ban, the prices of Hilsa in the Indian markets increased a lot and smuggling of the same also started happening on the India-Bangladesh border. In view of this, the Sheikh Hasina government resumed the export of Hilsa to India.
According to The Telegraph, Bangladesh lifted this ban in 2022.
Large consignments of Hilsa, found in the Padma river of Bangladesh, used to come to India during Poila Boisakh (Bengali New Year) apart from Durga Puja.
Now from where will Hilsa come to India
After the decision of the interim government of Bangladesh, India will now have to depend on other options for Hilsa. Hilsa fish is also available in small quantities in places like Odisha, Myanmar and Gujarat. Due to low supply, the prices of fish may increase a lot during the Durga Puja season.
Hilsa is available in Delhi despite the ban
The Bangladeshi government has banned the export of Hilsa to India, despite this, Hilsa fish from Bangladesh is being found in the fish markets of Delhi. How is this so?
Speaking to India Today Digital, a fish seller at Market 1, CR Park, said, “Traders at Gazipur wholesale market have told us that Hilsa from Bangladesh is now coming to India via Myanmar.” He said that due to this the prices of Hilsa have increased.
A fish retailer, on condition of anonymity, said, “We are now selling 1-1.3 kg Hilsa fish from Bangladesh at the rate of Rs 2,200 to Rs 2,400 per kg. A few months ago, its price was Rs 1,800 to Rs 2,000 per kg.”
He said Bangladeshi Hilsa will be available during Durga Puja, but prices may rise due to supply problems.
Another fish retailer in Delhi’s CR Park Market 2 said that Hilsa fish from both India and Bangladesh are available in the market.
He says, ‘Now Hilsa weighing 1-1.3 kg from both the countries is being sold at the rate of Rs 2,200 per kg.’ The retailer said that despite the ban on export, they are still buying fish from regular suppliers in Bangladesh.
Hilsa fish is an important part of the diet of the people of Bengal and is called the “king of fish”. This fish is an integral part of the diet on both sides of the border.
Hilsa from Padma, a tributary of the Ganges river flowing through Bangladesh, is famous for its extraordinary taste and texture. It is said that the Hilsa from Padma is the tastiest of all varieties. This variety has plenty of fat and thick juicy meat which makes it distinct.
The demand for Padma Hilsa is not just in West Bengal; markets in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Jharkhand and Bihar also see a huge demand for the fish during Durga Puja and Poila Baisakh (Bengali New Year).
Hilsa diplomacy strengthens India-Bangladesh relations
Hilsa diplomacy has been an important diplomatic tool between India and Bangladesh due to the demand for Hilsa in India. The fish became a symbol of goodwill and friendship between the two countries and former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was its flag bearer.
She has gifted Hilsa to many leaders of India including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on several occasions. This practice started in 1996 when Hasina gifted Hilsa to then West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu just before signing the Ganges water sharing treaty.
In 2019, Bangladesh allowed the export of 500 tonnes of Hilsa to India as a Durga Puja ‘gift’.
The first consignment of Padma Hilsa in 2023 arrived in Bengal from Bangladesh via Petrapole land port on September 21 during the Durga Puja season. A total of nine cargo trucks from Bangladesh, each carrying five tonnes of Hilsa, arrived in West Bengal from Barishal.
According to a report in The Telegraph, Bangladesh’s Commerce Ministry had ordered to send such a large consignment of Hilsa to India in view of Durga Puja. Following their order, 79 fish exporters sent 3,950 tonnes of Hilsa to India.
However, this year the export of Hilsa to India was suddenly banned, that too before Durga Puja. It seems that the Hilsa diplomacy has now reversed.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)