Bengal gets record Hilsa supply from Gujarat amid strained ties with Bangladesh

Every year, Bengal fish traders procure 500–700 MT of Hilsa from Gujarat. This year, over 4,000 MT have already arrived, marking a record surge in supply

Kolkata: West Bengal has recorded its highest Hilsa haul from Gujarat this year, with imports from Bangladesh uncertain due to strained relations between the two countries.

This is the highest procurement of Hilsa from Gujarat in recent years, secretary of the Fish Importers’ Association in West Bengal Maqsood said. (Representative photo)

“Every year, fish traders in Howrah and Kolkata procure around 500–700 metric tonnes (MT) of Hilsa from Gujarat. But this year, more than 4,000 MT of the fish have already arrived from Gujarat,” secretary of the Fish Importers’ Association in West Bengal SA Maqsood said.

This is the highest procurement of Hilsa from Gujarat in recent years, Maqsood added, “More are likely to be procured in the coming weeks as the festive season is approaching.”

“In Gujarat, while a residential population of Hilsa is found in the Ukai reservoir, shoals of the fish migrate from the Arabian Sea to the rivers Narmada and Tapi for spawning,” director of the Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute Basanta Kumar Das said.

The consignments from Gujarat reach Howrah and Kolkata, from where they are sent to other parts of the state, including north Bengal.

Hilsa is often tagged as the “Queen of Fish” for its taste, and the Bangladeshi Hilsa found in the Padma River is considered tastier than its Indian counterpart, which is found in the Hooghly River in West Bengal. Outside West Bengal, the Bangladeshi Hilsa is in great demand in Assam and Tripura.

The former Sheikh Hasina government imposed a ban on the export of Hilsa in 2012, but since 2019, a few thousand metric tonnes of the fish have been allowed to be exported to India during this time of year. It was considered a Durga Puja gift.

In 2024, the Bangladesh government allowed around 49 companies to export 2,420 MT of Hilsa to India through the Petrapole border. In 2021, 2022, and 2023, around 4,600 MT, 2,900 MT, and 3,950 MT of Hilsa were exported from Bangladesh, respectively.

“This year, we have also written to the Bangladesh government to allow export of Hilsa to India. But till date, there has been no response. It is uncertain this year,” Maqsood said.

The Hilsa catch in West Bengal has been declining over the years for multiple reasons. This year, however, the production has registered a rise with good monsoon rains.

“In 2011, the Hilsa catch was around 16,500 metric tonnes. It fell below 10,000 MT over the next three years. In 2017, around 26,000 metric tonnes of Hilsa were caught, the highest haul in recent times. In 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, it dropped to 2,085 MT, the lowest in recent years. In 2021, 2022, and 2023, fishermen in West Bengal caught around 6,170 MT, 5,600 MT, and 6,800 MT of Hilsa, respectively,” a senior official of the state fishery department said.

There are multiple factors behind the dwindling catch, including unbridled fishing, river pollution, erratic rainfall patterns, decreasing depth at the mouths of rivers due to siltation, and reduced river flush around this time of year, among others, joint secretary of the West Bengal United Fishermen Association Shyamsundar Das said.

“The fish is very sensitive to subtle changes. If they don’t find suitable conditions in the Hooghly River in West Bengal, they enter the Meghna-Padma estuary in Bangladesh,” he added.