Finance and Commerce Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed said hilsa is being exported to India by a decision at the highest level, and emotional talk serves no purpose.
Folk singer Kuddus Boyati has criticised the decision to export hilsa to India in a social media post saying ordinary people get nothing but pangas and tilapia.
A Supreme Court lawyer has sent a legal notice asking government officials to take steps to stop hilsa exports to India.
The government has banned all hilsa catching, transport, sale and storage for 22 days from 13 October to 3 November to protect breeding fish.
Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter said the Commerce Ministry permitted hilsa exports at India's special request for Durga Puja.
Economists and a former foreign ministry secretary say the interim government's approval of hilsa exports to India should be seen as a symbol of bilateral friendship rather than an earner.
After months of refusals, Bangladesh's interim government has approved hilsa exports to India, and West Bengal expects Padma hilsa on its tables before Durga Puja.
The Commerce Ministry has approved the export of 3,000 tonnes of hilsa to India for the upcoming Durga Puja.
Border Guard Bangladesh seized 885kg of hilsa worth about Tk 22 lakh as smugglers tried to take it to India through Dowarabazar in Sunamganj.
Hilsa biryani makes a special dish for a family meal or for guests, and here is how to cook it.
Hilsa supply at Barishal's largest wholesale market has dropped far below normal at the peak of the season, and buyers say prices are out of reach.
The home adviser told Coast Guard officers that stopping the smuggling of hilsa and fertiliser to neighbouring countries must be part of their core duty.
A boat rally and human chain on the Payra river in Taltali, Barguna, called for coal power projects to be scrapped to protect the river and its hilsa.
