The first consignment of hilsa fish, locally known as ilish, has reached the India-Bangladesh border from the neighbouring country, with eight trucks carrying around 32 tonnes of the popular fish ahead of Durga Puja festivities.
Each truck is loaded with around four tonnes of fish from the Padma River.
“The government has taken a policy decision to conditionally export 1,200 (one thousand two hundred) metric tons of Hilsa to India on the occasion of Durga Puja in the current year 2025,” the Bangladesh Commerce Ministry said in a notification late on Monday.
Bangladesh had fixed the shipment window between September 16 and October 5.
“The consignment will arrive in Kolkata’s wholesale markets by Wednesday night,” Fish Importers’ Association Secretary Syed Anwar Maqsood said. He said a one-kg ‘Padma Hilsa’ will cost customers around Rs 1,800.
“Now, almost daily, fish from Bangladesh will arrive in Kolkata markets,” Maqsood said.
The Bangladesh government had earlier said the shipments must comply with its Export Policy 2024-27, mandating the minimum export price be fixed at USD 12.5 per kg, with the validity of the approval running from September 16 to October 5, officials said.
ALSO READ: Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal’s legitimacy under a cloud
Since July 2012, Bangladesh has banned the export of Hilsa but has granted special permissions for exports to India during Durga Puja since 2019.
