Export is stopped, yet why Hilsa is beyond the reach of most buyers
September 19, 20244 Mins Read

Jumbangla Desk: After the radical change in the political context of Bangladesh, the interim government decided not to export hilsa to the neighboring country India. After seeing the information about the decrease in the price of hilsa on social media, many people who went to the market recently are disappointed. Many people are complaining about the high price of GI (Geographical Indication) products of Bangladesh.

Ilish

Curiosity about the price of hilsa is visible everywhere from the net world to the real fish market. Sellers also have to face the questions of buyers. Recently, Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhtar, informed about the interim government's position on not sending hilsa to India and said, 'We apologize, but we cannot send any hilsa to India. It is an expensive fish. We have seen that people of our country cannot eat hilsa. Because all are sent to India.' However, even after not being exported, buyers say that the price of the fish in the market is not within reach. News from BBC Bengal.

"Exports have stopped but the prices have not decreased, we are getting worse when we come to the market from the middle," Nargis Begum, a jobber who came to buy fish in Dhaka's Hatirpool market, told the media.

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'Facebook-YouTube comes to say that the price of hilsa is low, why do you want more? Our business is ruined...', countered the seller. Kamal Those involved in this business say that for various reasons, the price of the 'expensive fish' in the words of the fisheries advisor is not coming down. One of the reasons is lack of supply.

Those concerned said that the hilsa caught in the prison net comes to the buyer after three to five hands. The market also fluctuates on price variations in these places. In Chandpur, on Tuesday morning, each maund of hilsa weighing 3 to 400 grams was sold for around Tk 25,000. Like other fish, the price of hilsa increases with the weight. That is, the larger the size of the fish, the higher the price per kg.

Besides, fish sellers said that there is quite a difference in the price of fish caught from the sea-estuary and fish from the upstream of the river. The price per kg of fish weighing about 1 kg is 1000 to 1100 taka at the source. That is, the fishermen get this price for each kg of fish, said Ibrahim Majhi, a fisherman of Meghna river in Bhola.

"On Tuesday (September 17) morning, one kilogram of fish was sold for 60 to 62 thousand taka," said Abdul Bari Jamadar, president of the Chandpur Fish Merchants Association. In the capital's Hatirpool market, vendors are charging up to Tk 1,800 for fish weighing nine hundred grams to one kilogram. Abdul Bari Jamadar said that hilsa is being sold at this price for some time.

"In the last one month there has been a change of five thousand rupees per mana. The price may increase by Tk 50-100 per kg,' he added. Jamadar also said that fish weighing 1 kg to 1.5 kg are being sold for 65 to 70 thousand taka per maund. To protect the country's hilsa, the government announces a two-month fishing shutdown program from March 1 to April 30 every year. Fishing, transportation, sale and storage of hilsa is completely prohibited in the sanctuary during this period. Then from May-June to mid-October is the hilsa harvesting season.

Traders consider this time as 'peak time'. Abdul Bari Jamadar, President of Chandpur Fishery Merchants Association, says that compared to previous years, the sighting of fish at this time is 'very less'.
"In 2022, 1200 maunds of hilsa came to our places every day, last year 7-800 maunds came and this time 2-250 maunds are coming," said Jamadar.

He said that he has given dadan (advance money) to 40 trawlers this year and said that till now not one trawler has got enough fish. He said that he paid about five lakh taka for each trawler. Fishermen are obliged to sell their fish through these suppliers. They get ten percent money as commission agents.

Other traders also say that if there is not enough supply, there is no chance to reduce the price. The cost is not less in proportion to the sales, said Md. Yunus Mia, a dealer in Bhola. "To sell ten thousand taka fish, it takes six thousand taka," he said. Abdul Bari Jamadar said that one to one and a half million taka is spent to make each trawler depending on the shape. They have a shelf life of 10-12 years.

As a result, it is important for them to sell fish at a good price even if they want to raise the investment of trawlers. Besides, some have also blamed the syndicate for the high market prices of the fish. However, the fish traders are denying it. The contribution of hilsa to the total fish production of Bangladesh is about 12 percent. According to the information of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, its annual production is 571,000 metric tons.