Tonnes of hilsa from Gujarat, Mumbai and Myanmar have entered markets in West Bengal, and there are complaints that these fish, which buyers say lack taste and aroma, are being sold as the prized Bangladeshi hilsa.

Buyers allege that dishonest traders fill their bags with Indian and Myanmar hilsa while calling it Bangladeshi. Once cooked at home, the fish turns out to have none of the expected flavour or smell. Yet the prices are anything but low: hilsa is selling for 1,200 to 1,400 rupees a kg, varying by market and location.

Bangladeshi hilsa has always been in high demand among Bengalis who love their food. People in West Bengal, including Kolkata, especially wait for hilsa from Bangladesh around Durga Puja. Some dishonest fish traders are allegedly taking advantage of this demand to cheat buyers.

Besides fish from Gujarat, Mumbai and Myanmar, even local hilsa is allegedly being wrapped in plastic packets labelled "Bangladeshi hilsa". The packets are also said to lack proper expiry dates and other required information. Fish traders have denied the allegations.

Following the complaints, officials of the food safety department and local municipalities have raided various markets in West Bengal and are examining the hilsa on sale. They are checking whether the fish are hilsa at all, where they came from and whether the necessary documents on their origin exist.

Jadav Haldar, owner of Maa Manasa Fish Centre at Bongaon New Market in North 24 Parganas, told Jagonews that food department officials came to his shop, examined the hilsa and asked to see documents showing where the fish had been bought.

He said they buy hilsa from a fish shop in Barasat, North 24 Parganas, that Bangladeshi fish is kept separate and the date is recorded. He said he would collect the necessary papers and submit them to the food department.

Ordinary buyers, meanwhile, are asking how "Bangladeshi hilsa" can be reaching West Bengal's markets when exports of hilsa from Bangladesh are not currently permitted. That question has sparked a fresh controversy, and buyers have demanded an investigation into whether fish from other sources is being sold as Bangladeshi hilsa to cash in on its demand.

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