The price of hilsa at the Borostation fish landing in Chandpur has fallen by about Tk 200 a kg in a week. On Friday, 4 September, a weekly holiday, the landing was crowded with buyers from the morning, and the drop in price brought some relief.

Although the peak hilsa season is under way, supply from the Padma and Meghna rivers at Chandpur has not risen as hoped. Trading at the wholesale depots is being done with a small number of fish, and because supply falls short of demand, hilsa remains beyond the reach of ordinary buyers despite the fall.

On Friday, hilsa weighing one kg sold at the Borostation depots for Tk 2,500 to 2,600. A week earlier, fish of the same size cost about Tk 200 a kg more.

Idris Miaji, a buyer from Dhaka, said: "I came with friends to visit the confluence of the three rivers. Since the fish landing was close, I felt like buying hilsa. The price has come down a little compared with before, but it needs to fall further. In my view, hilsa should cost no more than Tk 2,000 a kg. Then many people could buy it."

Trader Kamal Hossain said that if the amount of hilsa in the river increases, supply to the market will also rise and prices may fall further. Because the quantity now reaching the landing is below demand, prices have not fully come under control, he said.

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