Hilsa supply at the Boro Station fish landing in Chandpur, one of the country's largest hilsa wholesale markets, has not picked up in the past week. On Friday (8 May), the weekly holiday, buyers from different parts of the country crowded the landing but went home disappointed without the fish they wanted. Citing the supply shortage, prices have also risen almost threefold.

Traders and buyers said supply in the market has fallen because not enough hilsa is being caught in the rivers, and this has hit prices. With the shortage pushing prices up to nearly three times their usual level, the popular fish is slipping out of reach of ordinary buyers.

Kamal Hossain, a hilsa trader at the landing, said hilsa weighing one kilogram is now selling for Tk 3,800 to Tk 4,000, while fish under one kilogram fetch Tk 3,000 to Tk 3,500. Because of the high prices, many buyers turn away as soon as they hear the asking price.

Another trader, Iqbal Nahid Hasan, said the crisis has arisen because fewer fish are being caught in the river. As fishermen are not landing the quantity of hilsa they expect, supply at the landing is not increasing.

Parvez and Monir, who came from Dhaka, said: "We came for an outing on the holiday and thought we would take fresh hilsa home on the way back. But there is no hilsa to be seen at the landing, and most of what there is is old. The price is so high we cannot afford to buy."

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