Traders have warned that they will stop selling hilsa if its price is fixed. They fear that the supply of hilsa reaching the wholesale markets, already low, will fall further if a price is set.

To bring the hilsa market under control, Chandpur deputy commissioner Mohammad Mohsin Uddin sent a letter to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock on 17 June. In light of that letter, the Cabinet Division placed the matter before the chief adviser on 26 June, and the chief adviser agreed to the proposal to fix the price.

News that the proposal has been finalised has drawn mixed reactions. Buyers welcomed it, but sellers say the idea is completely unreasonable and that selling hilsa at a fixed price is impossible, so the government's decision can never be put into practice.

Zakir Hossain, a seller at the town's Biponibag market, said: "If fish are caught, the price will fall on its own. But will it be possible to sell at a fixed price? We buy by the kilogram from the wholesale market and then sell. There is hardly any hilsa as it is. On top of that, if the price is fixed, selling will not be possible."

Monsur Ahmed, a trader at the Chandpur Boro Station fish landing, said: "How is it possible to sell at a fixed price? In the past the markets were full of hilsa at this time of year, but now they are empty. Is hilsa made at home, that it can be sold at a set price? The price will fall only if the supply of hilsa rises. Fixing the price will be of no use."

Shobe Borat Sarkar, general secretary of the Chandpur Boro Station Fish Traders' Association, said: "The price of hilsa depends on supply. If the government sets a fixed price, it will not be possible to sell. The price of a raw commodity cannot be fixed in advance. The biggest point is that there is no hilsa in Chandpur or anywhere in the country, so how will they fix the price?"

Buyers, on the other hand, are pleased by the news and want the price fixing implemented quickly. Jagonews24 spoke to several buyers on Thursday at the district's Biponibag, Palbazar and Wireless markets, who hope a fixed price will bring relief to the market.

Mohammad Ali, who had come to buy hilsa at Biponibag market, said: "Chandpur may be the home of hilsa, but the price here is very high. I am afraid to come to the market to buy it. We have heard that the government will fix the price of hilsa. We will be happy if it is implemented."

Another buyer, Puja, said: "The price of hilsa keeps rising and shows no sign of falling. After a lot of bargaining I bought two small hilsa. If this goes on, I will not be able to buy hilsa any more."

Deputy commissioner Mohammad Mohsin Uddin said: "The chief adviser has agreed to fix the price of hilsa. But a specific plan for setting the price has not yet been finalised. A reasonable price will be fixed after talking with wholesalers, fishermen, traders and ordinary buyers."

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