Bangladesh bans export of Hilsa to India

Agartala, July 05: The fish markets in Tripura today hit badly following imposition of ban on exporting hilsa fish to the Indian states by Bangladesh yesterday.

According to sources, Bangladesh customs authority had stopped five Agartala-bound trucks loaded with hilsha last night at Akhaura Land Custom Stations while 11 of them got stranded at Benapole land port near the border.

Bangladeshi Hilsa is highly in demand in India, especially in Tripura and West Bengal.

However, with the sudden fall in the supply, the price had increased upto Rs 800 per kg today in major fish markets of the state.

Custom officials at Akhaura stations said the demand of this fish in India increased three times during the current fiscal. Nearly 234 tons of hilsha were exported from Bangladesh to India through Tripura, they added.

Besides, a large quantity was even smuggled across the land and maritime border leading to scarcity of Hilsa in Bangladesh market, which might have guided the government to impose restriction on export.

The Bangladesh government had decided to ban hoarding and export of hilsha fish for the next six months to make it available in domestic market. The decision came after recent media reports that Bangladeshi hilsha fish were sold at much lower prices in India.

UNI