Harina ferry ghat in Hanarchar union of Chandpur Sadar upazila is one of the main spots on the Meghna river, with a fish wholesale depot where fishermen bring hilsa and other fish caught in the Meghna. At the moment, though, the prices of hilsa and all other fish there are very high.

Hilsa weighing 900 grams is currently selling at Tk 1 lakh a maund. Traders said the market situation arose because there are few hilsa in the river and little supply is coming in.

These prices were found during a visit to the ghat from the afternoon to the evening of Friday, 10 May. There are more retail traders than ordinary buyers at the ghat; they buy fresh hilsa at the depots and sell them in town.

Fishermen bring hilsa to the depots at two times of day. Those who fish at night come at dawn, and those who fish from morning to midday come from the afternoon until evening. Hilsa and other fish are also sold in smaller or larger amounts at the depots throughout the day.

At Tajul Saiyal's depot a fisherman brought three large and three small hilsa. A retail trader from Chandpur town bought the three small ones (jatka size) for Tk 800, and three medium ones of 300 to 400 grams for Tk 3,000.

At the next depot, 900-gram hilsa held since the morning sold at Tk 2,500 a kg. One buyer bought four hilsa for Tk 9,400.

Fish trader Billal Hossain said small hilsa sold that day at Tk 800 a hali (four fish), while large ones were sold by the kg. Large poa fish sold at Tk 400 to Tk 450 a kg. When there are fish in the river, 10 to 15 maunds of hilsa are sold at the depot every day.

Latif Sheikh, a fish trader at the Harina ghat depot, said there was a dearth of fish at present. Fishermen were catching very few, which was why prices were high. He had had to pay a fisherman Tk 600 for a single 400-gram prawn, and did not know what he could sell it for. Hilsa used to come in plenty, but no longer do, and people turn away when they see the prices.

Veteran fish trader Sirajul Islam Saiyal said there were very few fish in the river, and when supply is low buyers' demand cannot be met, which is why prices are so high. Hilsa are now selling at the highest prices of the year. But the hilsa at this depot are fresh, and buyers can take them even without ice.

He added that the water in the river had begun to rise and the monsoon was approaching. When the water rises further and it rains, supplies of hilsa and other fish will increase.

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