Hilsa is nowhere to be seen in the markets of Kolkata and the rest of West Bengal, and the few fish that are available carry sky-high prices. Sales have fallen as a result, leaving sellers frustrated and buyers disappointed.

Markets in Kolkata and the surrounding areas are crowded with shoppers every day, but only a handful of sellers have hilsa. Buyers come, and many turn away when they hear the price. Because of the high cost, Kolkata's food-loving Bengalis cannot enjoy their favourite fish.

Every year before Durga Puja, large quantities of hilsa are exported from Bangladesh to West Bengal. That fish spreads through the state's markets and keeps prices within buyers' reach.

But for several weeks, hilsa exports to India have largely stopped because of the protests and violence in Bangladesh and the instability that followed. Retailers in Kolkata say the price has soared because supply has fallen.

In Kolkata's markets a 500-gram hilsa now sells for Rs 600. A slightly larger fish of 700-800 grams is priced at Rs 800, while a hilsa of just over a kilogram sells for Rs 1,600, with some asking up to Rs 1,800.

Prices vary slightly between retail markets in different parts of West Bengal. Fish traders hope the shortage will not last long.

Bablu Das, joint secretary of a Kolkata traders' association, told Jagonews: "Buyers are indeed disappointed, and our market is bad too. We hope the silver hilsa will be caught in the fishermen's nets again, and then prices will be within reach."

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