Our Staff Correspondent form Khulna says, moderately big size hilsa was selling between Tk 400 and Tk 450 a kilogram in all the kitchen markets in the city making it difficult for middle and lower income group to buy them.

Retailers blamed the syndicate at wholesale markets for not selling hilsha within purchasing capacity of common people despite ban on its export.

They demanded immediate crackdown on the syndicate of wholesalers and middlemen to bring down prices within reasonable level.

Retailers also demanded surveillance and monitoring by government officials of hilsha price situation in wholesale and kitchen markets. They also urged the authorities to take stern steps to stop smuggling across border through trawlers.

Wholesalers said there was adequate supply in all fish landing centres of Khulna and Bagerhat districts but they accused middlemen for the price hike.

Wholesaler A K chand Mian at Skid Ghat blamed the owners of fish processing factories in Khulna and Bagerhat saying they were hoarding hilsha being well aware of ban on its export.

Many of them are doing it with the intention of smuggling, said another wholsaler.

According to a source in Khulna unit of Bangladesh Frozen Food Exporters Association (BFFEA), besides India, hilsha worth over Tk 8 crore were exported to America, Belgium, Germany and United Kingdom last year from six fish export centers in Khulna and Bagerhat districts.

Our Correspondent in Patuakhali says, the authorities are running special drive in all fish markets for the last two days so that traders can not sell hilsha at high price or cannot store them to create crisis. A monitoring team is observing hilsa prices in the markets.

Despite ban on export, hilsa prices did not fall here significantly.

This correspondent when visited local fish market yesterday found 40 kgs of hilsa (weighing over 1 kg each) was selling between Tk 12,500 and Tk 12,800. Two days ago those were sold at Tk 14,000. Small size (less than 1 kg each) hilsa was selling between Tk 10,000 and Tk 11,500 in place of Tk 11,500 and 12,000 only two days back.

But Fazlu Gazi, president of fishing trawlers owners association in Kuakata said," We are bound to sell hilsa at lower rate but we are deprived of fair price. We are facing loss as the prices of fishing instruments are still very high."

'We had to buy fishing net at a cost Tk 290 a kg while it was Tk 220 last year. Diesel price increased by Tk 10 per liter. Because of this the fishing cost has gone up, he added.

He urged the government to take immediate step to reduce prices of the fishing instruments.

Our Correspondent form Chandpur, the hub of country's hilsa trade, echoed sentiment of the hilsa lovers.

Consumers at Pal Bazar, Bipani Bagh Bazar, Natun Bazar and Wireless Bazar expressed disappointment at 'ineffective' ban on export as the prices of the delicious fish remained almost unchanged.

A one kg hilsa was selling at Tk 400 yesterday afternoon, which was just 20-30 taka costlier a week ago. Even a 600 gm hilsa sells at not less than Tk 250.

" I could not buy a one kg fish this year. The export ban made little impact," said Abdullah, 53, a low paid staff of Chandpur pourasabha.

Traders at Boro Station Railway fish ghat however said, the prices are slowly coming down as hilsa is now being sold at Tk 15,000 a mound instead of Tk 18,000 just before the ban.