Benapole port: 173-tonne hilsa exported to India in 3 days

A total of 173 tonnes of hilsa have been exported to India through Benapole port since Thursday.

The government allowed the export of 3,950 tonnes of hilsa to India, ahead of the Durga Puja.

Seventy-seven tonnes of hilsa were exported on Thursday, 40 tonnes on Saturday, and 56 tonnes yesterday.

Around 79 hilsa exporters will export the remaining hilsa by October 30, said Fisheries Quarantine Officer of Benapole Fisheries Office Mahbubur Rahman.

Meanwhile, prices in Jashore have gone up by Tk 400-500 per kg. One kg of hilsa is selling at Tk 2,000 and half a kilo at Tk 1,200 in local markets.

Moshiar Rahman, a customer, said he was frustrated to see the high price of hilsa.

A trader Shahid said, "The price of hilsa has doubled because of exports. We are buying it at a higher price and have to sell accordingly."

Previously, due to the decrease in hilsa production, the government had stopped exporting the fish beginning in 2012.

But as a token of friendship to India, the government of Bangladesh allowed the export of hilsa on the occasion of Durga Puja from 2019.

Indian C&F Agent Staff Welfare Association General Secretary Karthik Chandra said, "Due to the good relationship between the two countries, we get hilsa from Bangladesh before the puja. And we are quite delighted about it."