Hilsa is often tagged as the “Queen of Fish” for its taste.
The Hilsa consignments have been sourced mainly from Gujarat and shipped through Bharuch port, while some supplies have been routed through the Howrah wholesale fish market in West Bengal.
“Usually, it is the other way round. Hilsa from Bangladesh, which is considered the best for its taste, is imported around the Durga Puja time.
But this is for the first time that Hilsa is being exported to Bangladesh. It is primarily the roe-filled Hilsa from Gujarat,” said S A Maqsood, secretary of the Fish Importers’ Association in West Bengal.
The Bangladeshi-hilsa found in the Padma River, is considered to be tastier than its Indian counterpart, which is found in the Hoogly river in West Bengal.
Outside West Bengal, the Bangladeshi Hilsa is in great demand in Assam and Tripura.
In a first, India has exported around 500 metric tonnes of roe-filled Hilsas from Gujarat to Bangladesh in the last two months and another 150 MT of the fish is likely to be exported in the coming weeks.
The prime reason behind the export is the huge production of Hilsa in Gujarat.
Only the roe-filled fishes are being exported.
In Bangladesh the fish-eggs would be processed separately and exported to other countries, while the fish would be dried for future consumption as dried fish in Cox Bazar, Chittagong, Sylhet and other areas,” said Maqsood.
Hilsa breeds in Gujarat’s reservoirs and rivers
“In Gujarat, while a residential population of the hilsa is found in the Ukai reservoir, shoals of the fish migrate from the Arabian Sea to river Narmada and Tapi for spawning,” said Basanta Kumar Das, director of Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, said.
Fish traders in West Bengal said that as the consumption of the fish is very little in Gujarat, most of the catch is sent to West Bengal. The consignments reach Howrah and Kolkata from where they are sent to other parts of the state including north Bengal.
ends
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