The first consignment of Bangladeshi 'Padma Hilsa' reached West Bengal before Durga Puja, Bengalis are crazy about this fish.

Howrah: Ahead of Durga Puja to be held in West Bengal, the first consignment of 'Padma Hilsa' from Bangladesh has reached India. The first consignment of about 45-50 tonnes of fish arrived in West Bengal on Friday morning. After the arrival of this consignment, the authorities have started taking the initiative to appreciate it as a much-awaited import before Durga Puja.

The Bangladeshi interim government is going to export a total of 2,420 tonnes of Hilsa to India, all the consignments of which are expected to arrive by October 12. The wholesale price of Hilsa fish in Howrah's wholesale fish market currently ranges from Rs 1,400 to Rs 1,600 per kg. The fish, known for its excellent taste, crossed the Petrapole-Benapole border and reached Howrah market, where it will be distributed to various retail markets in and around Kolkata.

Bangladeshi Fish Padma Hilsa (Hundred-Social Media)

You may recall that Bangladesh had banned the export of Hilsa since July 2012, but has given special permission for export to India during Durga Puja since 2019. Syed Anwar Maqsood, secretary of Howrah Wholesale Fish Market Association, said that like every year, we wrote a letter to the interim government of Bangladesh, requesting them to provide Hilsa on the occasion of puja. However, there were delays due to some internal issues. But on the lines of better late than never, the first consignment has arrived.

In the first consignment, a total of 45 to 50 metric tonnes of Hilsa has entered India and West Bengal from the border station. This consignment is being sold in Howrah, Patipukur, Sealdah and Siliguri fish markets since this morning and has already been distributed to various markets from here.

Syed Anwar Maqsood said
Secretary of Fish Market Association, Syed Anwar Maqsood said that the people here have a special enthusiasm about Padma Hilsa of Bangladesh. He hopes that the price of Hilsa will come down a little more, currently the price is a little high. This fish is available at low price in Bangladesh. If seen in the market, small hilsa of 700 to 800 grams is being sold for Rs 900 to 1,000, while one kg hilsa is being sold for Rs 1,400 to 1,500.

Maqsood will try to get the whole fish before the fishing of this fish is banned in Bangladesh. Otherwise, after October 12, fishing in Bangladesh will be banned for 22 days from October 13. Hilsa is always in demand in Bengal but the taste of Padma Hilsa is different from Bangladesh. That's why people are crazy about it.

There is demand in these cities
Syed Anwar Maqsood explained in detail about the logistics involved in exporting and said that we handle bulk shipments. We have different suppliers who buy the fish and ship Hilsa to the states where it is in high demand. If seen, this fish is sold in large quantities in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Delhi. He urged everyone to please enjoy Hilsa, especially during Durga Puja. The festive season is here and we would request the Bangladesh government to relax the restrictions, so that we can continue supplying Hilsa to consumers throughout the year.