Petition challenges govt decision to export hilsa

A Supreme Court lawyer today (September 20, 2022) filed a writ petition with the High Court challenging the government's decision to export hilsa fish to India or any other country.

Lawyer Md Mahmudul Hasan submitted the petition as public interest litigation to the HC also requesting it to direct the government to stop exporting hilsa.

In the petition, he said that the commerce ministry has approved export of hilsa without considering its demand to the people of Bangladesh.

The poor people of the country cannot imagine buying hilsa, the national fish in Bangladesh, and even the middle-class people cannot afford to buy the fish due to its excessive price.

The average price of hilsa is Tk 1,000 to Tk 1,200 per kg in the local market and on the other hand, the most delicious hilsa which is captured from the Padma River is about Tk 1,200 to Tk 1,500 or more per kg, he said in the petition.

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The lawyer, in the petition, also said that the price of hilsa has been increased in the markets of Bangladesh due to the export of this type of fish to India.

Mahmudul further said that hilsa is not an exportable product under the Export Policy 2021-2024.

But the commerce ministry has approved the export of hilsa to India ignoring the interest of the people of Bangladesh and in violation of law, he added.