Before the puja this year, Bangladesh's interim government approved the export of 1,200 tonnes of the Padma's prized silver hilsa to India. The export window closed on 5 October.

But only 144 tonnes of hilsa were exported to India before the puja this year. Of that, 39 tonnes went to Tripura, a state neighbouring West Bengal, and the rest reached the wholesale fish market in Howrah, West Bengal.

With the export deadline passed on 5 October, no more hilsa will come from Bangladesh to West Bengal for now, and Kolkata residents are quite disappointed at how little arrived.

Syed Anwar Maksud, secretary of the Fish Importers Association in Howrah, told Jagonews that less hilsa was caught in Bangladesh this year, so not much Bangladeshi hilsa came to India. "The Bangladesh government gave us 1,200 tonnes, but fewer hilsa were caught in Bangladesh, so it was not possible to bring more. The price was also high. So of the 1,200 tonnes, 144 tonnes came, of which about 39 tonnes went to Tripura and the rest came to us."

He said this was the smallest amount ever, compared with 577 tonnes before the puja last year. "Because the catch was low in Bangladesh, less fish came and the price was much higher. In some places hilsa sold at 1,900 rupees a kg, elsewhere at 2,000 to 2,200 rupees, so many people were not buying."

"If more fish were caught in Bangladesh, they would not ask us for high prices; the price would fall anyway. It is supply and demand: there is no supply, so there is so much demand, and when there is demand the price will be high. Whatever fish did come from Bangladesh was at this sort of price," he said.

He added that Bangladesh's supply had been low from the start, and traders there had been weighing whether more could be sent. "What they sent proves that approval alone does not bring fish. People in their own country will eat first, then fish will come, because you cannot compete with the market there."

In his view, Bangladeshi hilsa builds a bridge between Bengalis on both sides of the border. With little hilsa available this time, prices rose in both Bangladesh and Kolkata. In these circumstances, he said, it was a lot that any hilsa came at all, and he hoped that next year all would be well and Bengalis on this side could taste Padma hilsa.

Although Bangladeshi hilsa is scarce in Kolkata's markets, they are full of hilsa from Gujarat and Myanmar. Gujarati hilsa is selling at 800-900 rupees a kg and Myanmar hilsa at 1,000 rupees a kg.

But Gujarati hilsa cannot compare with the Padma hilsa of Bangladesh in taste and aroma, which are unrivalled. That is why every year before the puja, people on the banks of the Ganges wait for Padma hilsa.

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