In one week, 131 trucks carried 411 tonnes 300 kg of hilsa to India through Benapole port. On Saturday, 5 October, 13 trucks took 42 tonnes of hilsa to India, said Rashedul Sajib Nazir, deputy director (traffic) of Benapole land port.

He said 92 tonnes were exported in 30 trucks last Thursday (3 October), 69 tonnes 640 kg in 23 trucks on Tuesday (1 October), 89 tonnes in 30 trucks on Monday (30 September), 19 tonnes in six trucks on Sunday (29 September), 45 tonnes 200 kg in 15 trucks on Saturday (28 September) and 54 tonnes 460 kg in 20 trucks on Thursday (26 September).

People in Jashore and across the country are angry about the exports. While a one-kilogram hilsa sells for Tk 1,800-2,000 in the domestic market, it is being exported to India at Tk 1,200, and how this is possible is being debated nationwide. A source among traders, however, said hilsa is not in fact being exported to India at that price.

Several traders said that because of the exports to India, hilsa cannot be found at the wholesale markets, and what is available costs almost double. Small hilsa sells at Tk 500-1,000 a kg and large hilsa at Tk 2,000-2,200 a kg.

According to sources concerned, on 25 September last month the government cleared 49 exporters to ship 2,420 tonnes of hilsa. Of them, 48 were allowed to export 50 tonnes each and one was allowed 20 tonnes. They have been told to finish exporting by 12 October.

Rocky Mahamud, manager of the hilsa exporter Sototo Fish in Benapole, said hilsa fishing has been banned nationwide for 22 days, from 13 October to 3 November, for breeding. During this time transporting, buying, selling, storing and exchanging hilsa will be banned across the country. Unless the export period is extended this year, it will be hard to ship all the approved hilsa within the set time; at most 500-700 tonnes may go.

Mahbubur Rahman, fisheries quarantine officer at the Benapole fisheries office, said that although hilsa exports began with the government's special permission, many firms have still not been able to export any hilsa to India.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.