Bangladesh has exported 532 metric tonnes of hilsa to India in 11 days till Saturday night on the occasion of Durga Puja against this year’s export approval for 2420 tonnes.
The government had permitted 49 companies to export 2,420 tonnes of hilsa during this period, but the actual quantity exported between September 26 and October 12 was significantly lower.
A total of 3.6 tonnes of hilsa was exported to India through Benapole land port until 10 pm on Saturday, the last day of this year’s export as the fishing window closed due to the government restriction ahead of the start of the breeding season.
A 22-day ban on hilsa netting, hoarding and transportation was imposed from Saturday midnight.
A total of 168 trucks carried the hilsa from Bangladesh’s Benapole port to India’s Petrapole port during the 11 days.
Each kilogram of hilsa was sold at $10, equivalent to approximately Tk 1,180. In total, the exports generated $532,000, or around Tk 6.28 crore.
Despite the lower-than-expected exports, domestic prices of hilsa have continued to rise. On Saturday, hilsa weighing less than a kilogram was being sold at Tk 1,300 per kg in the Benapole market, while larger fish were selling between Tk 1,800 and Tk 2,000 per kg.
In contrast, the same size hilsa exported to India is being sold at a price range of Tk 600 to Tk 800 per kg, raising concerns about price discrepancies between domestic and export markets.
Aswadul Islam, Inspector of Fisheries Inspection and Quality Control at the Benapole Land Port, acknowledged the gap between export and domestic prices. He said the export rules had been set a few years ago and suggested that a price adjustment might be considered to address the disparity.
According to the Department of Fisheries, Bangladesh exported 665 tonnes of hilsa in the 2023-24 fiscal year, significantly below the permitted 2,420 tonnes. Previous years also saw missed targets, with 477 tonnes exported in FY 2019-20, 1,880 tonnes in FY 2020-21, 1,211 tonnes in FY 2021-22, and 1,376 tonnes in FY 2022-23.
