India exports 500 tonnes of hilsa to Bangladesh in rare trade reversal

Traders said hilsa from Gujarat has relatively limited demand in the Indian market because of its high roe content. However, this has made it attractive to buyers in Bangladesh, especially in Chattogram and Sylhet, where roe-filled hilsa is in high demand.

In Short

• Most consignments were sourced from Gujarat and shipped via Bharuch port
• Some supplies also moved through Howrah's wholesale fish market in West Bengal
• Roe-rich Gujarat hilsa appeals strongly to buyers in Chattogram and Sylhet

India has exported around 500 tonnes of hilsa to Bangladesh over the past two months, fish traders said, marking a reversal of the usual trade in the prized fish between the neighbouring countries. Traders said another 150-200 tonnes is expected to be sent from India in the next few weeks.

The exports have come amid reports of lower hilsa production in Bangladesh this year, leading traders there to source the fish from India to meet domestic demand. Bangladesh is traditionally one of the world’s largest hilsa-producing countries, and the fish holds strong culinary and cultural importance on both sides of the border.

According to traders, the consignments have been sourced mainly from Gujarat and shipped through Bharuch port, while some supplies have also moved through the Howrah wholesale fish market in West Bengal. “Bangladesh has been importing hilsa from India for the first time. We usually send fish such as boal, rohu, parse and tangra to Bangladesh. This year there is a shortage of hilsa there,” said Syed Anwar Maqsood, secretary of the Howrah Wholesale Fish Importers’ Association.

“In the last two months, some 500 tonnes have been exported, and another 150-200 tonnes are slated in the coming weeks,” the association official said.

Traders said hilsa from Gujarat has relatively limited demand in the Indian market because of its high roe content. However, this has made it attractive to buyers in Bangladesh, especially in Chattogram and Sylhet, where roe-filled hilsa is in high demand. “Gujarat hilsa contains a lot of roe, which is highly sought after in Bangladesh. The eggs are also being sold separately for processing and re-exported to other countries by them,” Maqsood said.

He said Bangladeshi traders are also processing some of the imported hilsa for export to overseas markets, while some of the fish is being dried and sold as salted hilsa in the domestic market there. India, in recent years, has received hilsa consignments from Bangladesh ahead of Durga Puja, but there is still no clarity on whether Padma river hilsa will be exported to India this festive season. Last year, the Bangladesh government had allowed the export of 1,200 tonnes of hilsa to India ahead of the festival.

The latest trade movement shows an unusual shift, with India supplying hilsa to Bangladesh to help meet a domestic shortfall, even as the usual festive-season flow of fish from Bangladesh to India remains uncertain.

- Ends