Decision to export 1,200 tonnes of hilsa to India for Durga Puja draws criticism online

Bangladesh's interim government took a policy decision to allow the conditional export of 1,200 tonnes of hilsa to India for Durga Puja in 2025. The commerce ministry announced it in a notification on Monday, 8 September, setting a minimum export price of $12.50 a kilogram, or Tk 1,525. With hilsa beyond the budget of many shoppers at home, the decision set off debate and criticism on social media, Jagonews24 reported on 14 September.

The notification, signed by S H M Magfurul Hasan Abbasi, deputy secretary of the ministry's Export-2 branch, said the government had decided to export 1,200 tonnes of hilsa to India on a conditional basis for this year's Durga Puja. Interested exporters were asked to apply by 5pm on 11 September.

Applicants had to submit:

• an updated trade licence
• an Export Registration Certificate (ERC)
• income tax and VAT certificates
• a sales contract
• a Department of Fisheries licence

Exporters who had applied earlier without an invitation were told to apply again.

Many social media users wrote that hilsa was being sent to India for less than it cost in Bangladesh's own markets, which they said was unacceptable. Some posted videos of fish markets, saying that people could not afford hilsa at home while it went to India comparatively cheaply. Others commented that if hilsa sold for around Tk 1,500 a kg at home, they would buy several kilograms at once.

Speaking at a views-exchange meeting organised by the district administration and the Department of Fisheries in Thakurgaon Sadar on the afternoon of Saturday, 13 September, Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter said the export of 1,200 tonnes had been allowed as a neighbourly gesture and at India's repeated request. The decision followed requests from the foreign and commerce ministries, she said.

"We have said again and again that the country's demand will be given priority. As a neighbour we have to send some hilsa at India's request. But this time it is much less than the demand, and at a comparatively higher price," she said. This year, she added, less would be exported than before, and at a raised price.

Hilsa is Bangladesh's national fish and was recognised as a geographical indication (GI) product of the country in 2017. Exports to India were suspended from 2012 to 2018; since then a limited quantity has been allowed each year by special permission for Durga Puja. Demand for Bangladeshi hilsa rises sharply during the festival, especially in West Bengal; according to The Business Standard, Indian demand during the festival usually reaches about 5,000 tonnes.

For Durga Puja in 2024, the commerce ministry first decided to allow 3,000 tonnes, then stepped back from that decision and finally permitted 2,420 tonnes. The quantity approved in 2025 was far lower.

Photo: DelwarHossain / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)

Sources: Jagonews24, UNB, The Business Standard, The Daily Star, Wikipedia (Ilish)