After an abnormal rise in hilsa prices in Dhaka around Pahela Baishakh, prices have now eased somewhat. Big hilsa have fallen by nearly Tk 1,000 a kg. Even so, at current prices it is hard for low-income people to put hilsa on their plates: a 1kg hilsa still costs more than Tk 2,500 a kg in the market, and small hilsa are also expensive.

On 14 April, hilsa of 1kg or slightly larger were selling at Tk 2,400 to Tk 2,600 a kg in various Dhaka markets, down from Tk 3,000 to Tk 3,400 a day earlier.

Smaller hilsa of 600 to 800 grams were selling at Tk 1,600 to Tk 2,000 a kg, against Tk 2,000 to Tk 2,400 a day earlier. Hilsa of 300 to 500 grams cost Tk 1,200 to Tk 1,400 a kg, down from Tk 1,300 to Tk 1,500. Smaller fish sold at Tk 700 to Tk 900 a kg.

Md Aslam, a hilsa seller at Rampura bazar, said prices were lower than the day before. "The hilsa I sold yesterday for Tk 2,200 a kg I am selling today for Tk 1,800. Because prices are high, sales are very low. But prices are unlikely to fall much further soon, because the supply of hilsa in the market is not very high now."

At Malibagh Hajipara, a trader named Kamal was selling small hilsa at Tk 1,200 a kg, fish he had sold for Tk 1,600 the day before. Asked why hilsa is so expensive, he said demand rises for Baishakh and supply is now very low. "Some hilsa is available in the market now, but from two days from now it will be hard to find. So I do not think prices will fall soon."

At Shantinagar bazar, traders were selling hilsa of 1kg or slightly larger at Tk 2,500 to Tk 2,800 a kg, and medium-sized fish at Tk 1,600 to Tk 1,800.

Shantinagar hilsa seller Subal said prices were much lower than the day before. "Hilsa that sold for Tk 3,400 a kg yesterday is selling for Tk 2,500 today. Small hilsa was over Tk 2,000 a kg yesterday; today I am selling it for Tk 1,600." Even so, sales are slow, he said — perhaps because those who wanted hilsa for Baishakh bought it earlier, or because some expect prices to fall further. "But we do not think prices will fall much more, because from tomorrow there will be a ban on catching hilsa, and fresh fish will be hard to find during the ban."

Buyers are unhappy even with the lower prices. Md Moniruzzaman, a private-sector employee who came to Rampura bazar, said: "I wanted fried hilsa today. Yesterday prices were sky-high. They have come down a bit today, but good hilsa still cannot be had for under Tk 2,000. It is hard to buy hilsa at such prices, so I am going back without it."

Amena Khatun was also leaving Hajipara bazar empty-handed. "Small hilsa that will not weigh more than 200 grams are being offered at Tk 1,100 a kg. Some are offered at Tk 800 a kg, but those are rotten. We cannot afford hilsa at such prices," she said.

Md Saiful Islam, who bought hilsa at Shantinagar, said: "Yesterday I bought a 1.1kg hilsa at Tk 3,300 a kg. Today the same kind is selling at Tk 2,600, so I am buying another. The price still seems high, but the children love hilsa, so I have to pay extra."

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