Hilsa of every size, small and large, is available in the market at the height of the season. But the price has put it out of buyers' reach, and even those selling it dare not eat it. The money needed to buy a single 1-kg hilsa could now buy three and a half kg of beef.
This emerged from visits to various markets in the capital on Tuesday 5 August and conversations with hilsa sellers, buyers and ordinary people.
"We are surprised at the price of hilsa too. There is nothing we can do about it; we sell based on the price we buy at. Because prices are high, sales are low too. I sell hilsa every day, but I do not eat it at home. I will eat it when the price comes down," said Jalal Hossain, a hilsa seller in Khilgaon, adding that every size is available in the peak season but few buyers come because prices are so high.
Prices in the markets
Hilsa of one and a half kg was selling for Tk 3,200 to Tk 3,500, and 1-kg hilsa for Tk 2,600 to Tk 2,900 a kg. Fish of 400–500 grams sold at Tk 2,000 to Tk 2,200 a kg and small hilsa at Tk 1,400 to Tk 1,600. Some traders were selling large hilsa a little cheaper; several said these were sea hilsa.
At Rampura market, Monirul Islam, a private-sector employee, told Jago News: "Buying a 1-kg hilsa costs Tk 2,800. With the money for one kg of hilsa you can buy nearly four kg of beef. People like us will not get hilsa now; hilsa is for those who have plenty of money. We will just look at hilsa, hear the price and walk away."
Rickshaw puller Md Sabur Mia, standing with his rickshaw beside a hilsa seller, said: "Now if you want to eat hilsa, you will have to lease out your land." He told Jago News he had been standing there for about half an hour watching hilsa sales, and several people had walked away glumly in front of him after hearing the price.
Beef against hilsa
On the same day, beef was selling at Tk 750 to Tk 780 a kg depending on the market, and a little higher in some places. On that basis, the price of a kg-sized hilsa would buy about three and a half kg of beef.
Farida Akhter, adviser to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, said recently that hilsa prices are currently high because of low supply along with extortion and high diesel prices, and that the Chief Adviser's Office is taking steps to bring prices down.
Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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