A large amount of Bangladeshi hilsa are being smuggled to the Indian state of West Bengal where the fish is as popular as it is here.
A ban order of Bangladesh authorities on hilsa export has been effective for one year in order to contain the fish’s spiraling price.
Meanwhile, a recent report in Kolkata’s daily Anadabazar Patrika also said hilsa smuggled from Bangladesh hit the West Bengal’s kitchen markets.
India Fish Importers’ Association chairman Autoal Das said there is no official import of hilsa from Bangladesh now for Kolkata’s kitchen markets.
He said a total of 250 metric tons of hilsa was imported from Bangladesh in July last year.
In August 2012, Bangladesh government imposed ban on export of hilsa.
Bangladesh’s apex trade body FBCCI vice president Helal Uddin told the Dhaka Tribune that the Indian traders are collecting Bangladeshi hilsa from the river mouths or in the sea, although export is banned.
Supporting ban order, he said: “If ban was lifted, price of hilsa on local market would go up.”
Meanwhile, a section of exporters said if ban order remained in place, the government would continue to loss revenue from the sector.
Besides, the trade gap between Bangladesh and India would further widen, they said, emphasising that the jobs of 500,000 to 600,000 are directly and indirectly involved with the hilsa trade.
A group of 10 exporters said they had become defaulters of bank loans amounting to Tk500m as they could not export 10,000 pieces of hisla stocked earlier due to ban.
Official sources said the commerce ministry wanted to withdraw ban on hilsa after the Pahela Baishakh this year, but the authorities concerned were willing to continue the order.
“The government are now being deprived of revenue from the export of hilsa. Furthermore, local fishermen are not getting fair prices,” said a commerce ministry official.
But the ministry of fisheries said the opposite. They suggested strong monitoring to prevent Bangladeshi hilsa from being smuggled.
“Home Ministry should take an initiative to strictly check hilsa smuggling to the neighbouring the country,” Ujjwal Bikash Dutta, Fisheries Secretary, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
“We don’t know how much hilsa are being taken out of the country illegally every day,” the secretary said.
