Dhaka, Oct 13 (V7N): Bangladesh has exported 532 tonnes of hilsa to India over the course of 11 days, ending on Saturday night, as part of this year's export approval for 2,420 tonnes to mark Durga Puja. Despite the government permitting 49 companies to export the full amount, the actual quantity sent between September 26 and October 12 fell significantly short of expectations.

On the final day of this year's export period, 3.6 tonnes of hilsa were exported via the Benapole land port, ending the shipment window as a 22-day ban on hilsa fishing, hoarding, and transportation began at midnight, due to the breeding season. Over the 11 days, 168 trucks transported hilsa from Benapole to India's Petrapole port.

Each kilogram of hilsa was sold at $10, or roughly Tk1,180, generating $532,000 (around Tk6.28 crore) from the exports. Despite the lower-than-anticipated exports, hilsa prices within Bangladesh have surged. On Saturday, hilsa weighing under a kilogram was sold at Tk1,300 per kg in the Benapole market, while larger sizes fetched between Tk1,800 and Tk2,000 per kg.

Meanwhile, the same size hilsa in India sold for Tk600 to Tk800 per kg, sparking concerns over the price disparity between domestic and export markets. Aswadul Islam, an inspector from the Fisheries Inspection and Quality Control at Benapole Land Port, acknowledged the gap and hinted that a price adjustment could be considered to reduce the discrepancy.

The Department of Fisheries noted that during the 2023-24 fiscal year, Bangladesh exported only 665 tonnes of hilsa, well below the approved 2,420 tonnes. In previous years, the country also missed its export targets, with 477 tonnes exported in FY 2019-20, 1,880 tonnes in FY 2020-21, 1,211 tonnes in FY 2021-22, and 1,376 tonnes in FY 2022-23.

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