An all-night hilsa fair was held in Bhanga, Faridpur, on the night before the ban took effect. Thousands of people from Bhanga and several nearby upazilas crowded there to buy hilsa.
The fair was held under the Hasamdia flyover in the municipality from after dusk on Friday (3 October) until dawn on Saturday.
According to local people and aratdars, the government ban on catching, storing and transporting hilsa took effect across the country from Friday midnight. As every year, a hilsa fair was held just before the ban. Besides locals, people from surrounding areas gathered to buy hilsa. Because fish were a little cheaper here than in the market, buyers were happy to get the hilsa they wanted.
Prices held steady
Although less hilsa came in this time than usual, prices did not rise much. At the fair, 1kg hilsa sold for Tk 2,000 to Tk 2,200, 500g hilsa for Tk 800–1,000 a kg, and 250g hilsa for Tk 550–600.
A buyer named Sohag Matubbar said: "This fair is held every year on the night before the ban. Buying and selling will be closed for almost a month, so thousands of people crowd in to buy fish cheaply. Because prices were low, I've bought several kilos of hilsa for my family."
Another buyer, Mannan Matubbar, said: "The fair starts after dusk and goes on late into the night. Like many others, I bought several kilos. The silver hilsa sold for Tk 100 to Tk 200 less than in the market."
Fish trader Rustam Ali said: "This hilsa fair is held only once a year, and the silver hilsa are bought and sold all night. This time at least 80 to 100 tonnes of hilsa changed hands in this one-night fair. There were more buyers than fish."
Bhanga Upazila Fisheries Officer Israt Jahan said the government ban on catching, storing and transporting hilsa had taken effect across the country from midnight on Friday (3 October) to ensure safe breeding of mother hilsa, and would remain in force until 25 October. Because catching, buying and selling hilsa is completely banned until then, the hilsa fair is held on the last day, she said.
Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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