India has exported around 500 tonnes of hilsa to Bangladesh over the past two months, reversing the traditional flow of the prized fish between the neighbouring countries, The Economic Times reports.
Another 150-200 tonnes is likely to be exported to Bangladesh in the coming weeks, according to fish traders cited by the Indian daily.
The consignments have mainly come from Gujarat and been shipped through Bharuch Port, while some supplies have moved through the Howrah wholesale fish market in West Bengal, it added.
“Bangladesh is 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,” Syed Anwar Maqsood, secretary of the Howrah Wholesale Fish Importers’ Association, told ET.
“In the last two months, some 500 tonnes have been exported, and another 150-200 tonnes are slated in the coming weeks,” he said.
Hilsa from Gujarat has relatively limited demand in the Indian market due to its high egg, or roe, content, the report said. That characteristic, however, makes it particularly “attractive to Bangladeshi buyers”, especially in Chattogram and Sylhet, where roe-filled hilsa is in high demand, it added. “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.
Bangladeshi traders are processing some of the imported hilsa for overseas markets, while some of the fish is being dried and sold domestically as salted hilsa, ET said.
India Exports 500 Tonnes of Hilsa to Bangladesh in Two Months, Reversing Trade Flow: ET
