Why are hilsa traders worried?

Retail hilsa traders said that hilsa is rarely seen in the market, which is less than 400 grams. Hilsa of this size is now being sold at a price of 1000 taka per kg. The traders said that despite the demand for hilsa in the local market, they mainly send the hilsa to the caravan market in Dhaka. Furthermore, due to the ban on fishing in hilsa sanctuaries, only a small amount of hilsa is seen in the market.

Babul Sikdar, a hilsa trader at Mahipur Fish Landing Center in Patuakhali district, the biggest wholesale center for selling hilsa in Barisal division, said, ‘Kg size hilsa is being sold at the rate of Tk 95,000 in this market at the moment. Here too, not more than 200 mounds are available daily. However, it is expected that the supply of hilsa will increase several times when the ban is lifted at the end of April. On the occasion of Eid and Pahela Baishakh, the price of hilsa has exceeded lakhs of rupees. The hilsa traders of Barisal said that this price increase is due to the supply of hilsa being less than the demand.

Sources from the Barisal District Fisheries Department said that there is a ban on hilsa catching in five sanctuaries in various districts, including Barisal, from March 1 to April 30. District Fisheries Officer Bimal Chandra Das said that there is no ban on catching hilsa in other places except Abhayashram.