Demand for hilsa has risen in Rajshahi ahead of Pahela Baishakh, and so has the price. For many people, a taste of hilsa for the new year has remained out of reach.

At the city's Saheb Bazar, hilsa weighing a kilogram or slightly more were selling for Tk 2,000 to Tk 2,200, while buyers had to pay Tk 1,600 to Tk 1,800 for hilsa of 800 to 900 grams.

Mofizul Sarkar, a teacher who had come to the market to buy hilsa, said: "Hilsa is our national pride, yet that fish is now only for the rich. We struggle to buy our own fish in our own country. Eating hilsa for one day in Baishakh feels like a luxury."

Shahin Hawlader, who left without buying, said: "A few days ago I bought two fish weighing one and a half kilos at Tk 1,200 a kg. Today, hearing the price of fish the same size, I couldn't bring myself to go ahead."

Hilsa seller Masum Mridha said: "Large hilsa hardly reach the market this season. Some medium-sized fish arrive, but the price is very high. We too have to buy at high prices, so there is no scope to sell cheaply."

Wholesale hilsa seller Md Jinna said: "There is no hilsa supply this time. It's very low. The landing centres are charging more too. We buy at high prices and have to sell at high prices."

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