India Exports 500 Tonnes of Hilsa Fish to Bangladesh

India has exported approximately 500 tonnes of hilsa fish to Bangladesh over the last two months, marking a significant reversal of traditional trade patterns where Bangladesh typically supplies the fish to India. An additional 150 to 200 tonnes are expected to be shipped in the coming weeks. This shift is driven by record hilsa production in Gujarat, particularly in the Bharuch district, and a domestic shortage in Bangladesh caused by river pollution and climate change.

Syed Anwar Maqsood, secretary of the Howrah Wholesale Fish Importers' Association, noted that Bangladeshi buyers in Chattogram and Sylhet specifically seek Gujarat hilsa for its high roe content. Shipments have moved through the Bharuch port and the Howrah wholesale fish market, with the majority entering Bangladesh via the Benapole-Petrapole land port. While Bangladesh has historically provided hilsa to India as a gift for Durga Puja since 2019, there have been zero exports from Bangladesh this fiscal year.

In response to this trade shift, the Ministry of Fisheries and experts from ICAR-CIFRI are calling for sustainable ecosystem management to protect wild stocks. Proposed measures include maintaining gill net mesh sizes above 90 mm, preventing juvenile fishing, and restoring hydrological connectivity in the Sundarbans region to protect migration corridors and mature brooders.