Although the season has begun, the hilsa market has been slow for several days. Recently, however, supply from the southern districts has increased, livening up the hilsa market at the Chandpur fish landing centre. Even so, the curfew has left the Chandpur Boro Station fish ghat short of buyers.

At noon on Wednesday, 24 July, the Boro Station fish ghat in the town was noisy with the calls of traders and workers. Some 150-200 maunds of hilsa are arriving every day. But because of the curfew, traders have faced a transport crisis in sending hilsa to other districts over the last few days.

Trader Nobir Hossain told Jago News: "Because of the current situation and the curfew, it has not been possible to send hilsa to other districts for the past few days for lack of transport. Traders could not come either. That is why the market is slow." He said hilsa of 800-900 grams are selling at Tk 1,300-1,400 a kg, and fish of one kg or more at Tk 1,500-1,700 a kg.

Hanu Chandra Das, who came to the ghat to buy fish, said: "I went round several depots at the ghat and saw that all hilsa, local and brought in, are expensive. This national fish is beyond people's purchasing power."

Mamun and Mozammel, buyers from Hajiganj, said: "We live in Chandpur, the home of hilsa, and still we cannot taste it. We asked the price in several places and it is beyond our means. If we find it at a price we can afford, we will buy."

Abdul Bari Jamadar Manik, president of the Chandpur Matsya Banik Samabay Samity, said that at this point in last year's season 2,500 to 3,000 maunds of hilsa were arriving, but this year arrivals have fallen far below that. Now an average of 150-220 maunds arrive every day from the local Padma and Meghna and the southern region. The government and everyone concerned must think about increasing hilsa production, he said.

Tanzimul Islam, senior fisheries officer of Chandpur Sadar upazila, said fishermen catch hilsa in the Padma and Meghna at Chandpur all year round. It is now the peak season, and there is a chance arrivals will increase in the coming days. There is no reason to despair, he said.

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