Bangladesh bans export of Padma hilsa to India, prices zoom before Durga Puja

In a blow for Bengalis ahead of Durga Puja, Bangladesh has banned the export of the Padma hilsa or “ilish” to India, shooting up prices of the delicacy in the Indian market.

Bangladesh authorities said they could not afford to export the fish at a time when it was in short supply within their own country.

The Bangladeshi ilish, which comes from the River Padma, a distributary of the Ganga, is a key component of Bengali cuisine, particularly during the festive season.

Why the export ban?

Bangladesh earlier banned hilsa exports in 2012-20 due to low supply and high prices but had made an exception for India.

Bangladesh produces 70 per cent of the world’s hilsa, which is also the country’s national fish.

Farida Akhtar, advisor to the Bangladesh ministry of fisheries and livestock, stated Dhaka imposed the ban to ensure sufficient supply for local consumers, reported the Dhaka Tribune newspaper.

Now Hilsa from Myanmar

“We cannot allow ilish to be exported while our own people cannot buy them,” she said. “I have instructed the Ministry of Commerce to prevent any ilish exports to India during Durga Puja.”

Indian consumers, mostly in West Bengal, will now probably get Padma hilsa from within the country or Myanmar.

Prices shoot up in India

The Bangladesh ban comes amid already rising prices.

“We are selling a 1–1.3-kg hilsa from Bangladesh for Rs 2,200–2,400 a kilo now,” a fish retailer told India Today. The price was Rs 1,800–2,000 a kilo a few months ago.

In 2019, Bangladesh allowed 500 tonnes of Hilsa to be exported to India as a Durga Puja gift.