The Chandpur fish landing is ringing with the calls of hilsa traders. Trawlers are tied up at the ghat, and workers are unloading gleaming silver hilsa and piling it in front of the wholesale stalls, where it is sold to buyers and sellers. With supply up, workers and traders have hardly a moment to breathe.

Supply at the ghat has risen a good deal compared with last week. On Friday 8 August alone, about 800 maunds of hilsa arrived. The price has fallen by about Tk 200 a kg as a result. A hilsa of 1 kg now sells for Tk 2,300, against Tk 2,500 last week. Fish of 700–800 grams sell for Tk 2,000, and those of 500–600 grams for Tk 1,600.

Surprisingly, though, very little of the hilsa comes from the Padma and Meghna at Chandpur. Most of the fish at the ghat has come from the southern coast, including Hatiya and Sandwip. Hilsa caught in local fishermen's nets is rarely seen at the market, which is why the price is not falling much further.

Buyers say the small drop has made hilsa a little easier to buy, but they could buy more if prices fell further. Traders say the price fell because supply from the south has increased, and that buyers and sellers are both satisfied.

Faridul Hasan, who came from Gazipur, said: "I have come to the Chandpur Boro Station fish ghat to buy hilsa for the first time. We expected hilsa to be a little cheaper here than in Dhaka, but after going round the whole market our view has changed. There is plenty of hilsa at the ghat, but it would be better if prices came down a bit more."

Online hilsa seller Zobayer Hasan said: "Those who buy fish online should be careful, because most buyers of hilsa online get cheated. Come to the ghat, or buy through someone you trust. Online fraudsters are ruining the reputation of the traders at the fish ghat."

Hilsa sellers Nabir Hossain and Kamal Hossain said: "Alhamdulillah, the supply of hilsa has risen a lot compared with before. Trawlers are coming to the Chandpur fish ghat from the south, which we had not seen all season. Supply rises when the southern trawlers come in, and most of the hilsa at the ghat is from the south. Comparatively little hilsa is being caught in the Padma and Meghna at Chandpur, which is why the price of Chandpur hilsa has not fallen in the local market. There is still quite some time left, and we hope supply will rise further and prices will come down."

Shabe Barat Sarkar, general secretary of the Chandpur Fish Traders' Association, said: "Some hilsa started arriving at the Chandpur Boro Station fish ghat from late July, but after a few days supply fell to rock bottom again, so prices have not fallen as hoped. Supply has been rising since the start of August. If this continues, prices are likely to fall."

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