Crowds of buyers gathered at the Baro Station fish ghat in Chandpur on the weekly holiday, but the supply of hilsa fell short of demand. Where 400 to 500 maunds of hilsa used to change hands on an average day, trading has now come down to 50 to 100 maunds.

From the morning of Friday, 27 June, buyers from Dhaka and other parts of the country came to the ghat. Some bought two fish, others five to seven, while some buyers left disappointed after hearing the prices.

Parvez, who came from Dhaka, said: "Four of us friends came from Dhaka by launch to visit the confluence of the three rivers at Baro Station in Chandpur. The hilsa ghat is next to the confluence, so we came to see the fish. But it has been a different experience. There are no piles of hilsa, and the prices are high. We are looking around the whole wholesale market and will buy hilsa if we can."

Hilsa trader Nabir Hossain said: "The hilsa season is on, but fishermen are catching little hilsa in the Padma and Meghna rivers at Chandpur. Given the huge demand for Chandpur hilsa across the country, there is not enough fish in the market. Hilsa from the southern region used to come to the Chandpur ghat by trawler, but since the Padma Bridge was built that fish no longer comes. The peak hilsa season is ahead. If the river water and rain continue, hilsa will be caught and then the price will fall."

Another trader at the market, Kamal Hossain, said: "The hilsa arriving at the ghat now are large, and they come from local rivers. Because it is Friday, more buyers have come, but sales are low. Most buyers check the prices and leave without buying. So even with some supply, sales are not what they used to be."

He said hilsa weighing one kilogram were selling at Tk 2,300 to Tk 2,400, while fish of 500 to 700 grams were selling at Tk 1,700 to Tk 1,800. Large hilsa of one kilogram were selling at Tk 2,800 to Tk 3,000, he said.

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