The hilsa season is reckoned to run from June to October. The season has begun, but the silver fish remains out of reach, and buyers are unhappy with the price.

Buyers say hilsa is dearer this year than at any time before, which they call "abnormal". A government office also says the price is beyond the reach of ordinary people this time. Low supply because fish are not being found in the rivers, extortion and a rise in diesel prices are among the reasons given for the high price.

Traders in Dhaka's retail and wholesale markets say a hilsa of 500–600 grams sells for Tk 1,000–1,200 a piece, against a maximum of Tk 700–850 last year. A fish of 700–800 grams sells for Tk 1,800–1,900, when last year it could be had for under Tk 1,000. Hilsa of 800–900 grams is being sold by the kg at up to Tk 2,000–2,300.

Hilsa that sold for Tk 1,600–1,800 a kg at the height of last season, depending on the market, has been seen selling at Tk 2,800–3,500 this year for the same weight.

With prices high, there is no control in the market either; sellers are raising prices as they please. On Friday the price of a kg of hilsa differed by Tk 300 to Tk 500 between the Rampura and Gulshan markets.

Mujahid, a buyer at Gulshan 2 market, said: "My children want to eat hilsa, but I could not afford it, so I could not buy any today. I will wait, and buy whenever the price comes down."

Hilsa seller Jubayer Ali said: "Less hilsa is being caught and supply is low. Even so, this year we have to pay nearly double last year's price for hilsa at various places in Barishal and Chandpur. That is why we are selling at a higher price too."

He said people have cut their hilsa buying sharply because of the price, and this year's abnormal price has made traders uneasy as well.

Meanwhile, an association of fish traders in West Bengal has written to the interim government asking for hilsa. On 29 July the "Fish Importers Association" of West Bengal wrote to Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain, saying it wants to import hilsa for Durga Puja in September. The letter has been sent to the Ministry of Commerce.

Sources at the commerce ministry said whether to allow hilsa exports is under review.

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