The government will lift the ban on exporting hilsa fish to India with a view to boosting country’s revenue earnings and prevent its smuggling.
Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed shared his government’s view over the hilsa export issue at a meeting with the newly elected office bearers of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industries [DCCI] at Secretariat on Sunday.
Officials said the government is going to take the decision in the wake of strong demands by different trade bodies including the Bangladesh Frozen Food Exporters’ Association.
Bangladesh government imposed the ban on hilsa export on July 31, 2012 in order to contain the fish’s spiraling price in the local market.
“The government is going to withdraw the ban on hilsa export as the country is being deprived of revenue earning…. there is rampant smuggling of the fish. So, let us earn more revenues through legalizing export,” Tofael Ahmed said.
“The Frozen Food Exporter’s Associations of Bangladesh and India are showing much interest over this product [hilsa]. Besides, we have got the opportunity to export all Bangladeshi products to India, except tobacco and alcohol,” the minister also said.
Earlier on January 22, Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Pankaj Saran had requested Fisheries and Livestock Minister M Sayedul Haq to lift the ban imposed on “very popular fish hilsa” export.
In reply, Bangladesh Fisheries Minister assured the Indian envoy to discuss the matter with the authorities concerned including the Commerce Ministry within a short time.
Meanwhile, a huge quantity of hilsa is being smuggled out to India from the country through different points of border every day to meet the high demand of the fish in the Indian state of West Bengal, Assam and other parts.
Bangladeshi hilsa fishes are available in large quantity at Shialdah, Haura, Barasat, Habra, Maslendapur and in other Kolkata fish markets, sources said.
About 50 points of about 200-kilometre-long border of southwestern region from Satkhira to Jibonnagar of Jhenidah and the waterways of Satkhira along the Sundarbans are used for smuggling of hilsa, dodging surveillance of Border Guard Bangladesh [BGB].
Apart from the riverine routes, large consignments of hilsa are smuggled from Sadipur, Putkhali, Gatipara, Doulatpur and Benapole to West Bengal through the bordering areas every day using the land routes.
“There is huge demand for hilsa in West Bengal. Especially, its demand increases ahead of Nabo barsho or Durga Puja. A one kg fish is sold for 800/1000 Rupees in India ahead of festivals while it is sold for Tk500/600 in Bangladesh,” Kartik Chandra Das, general secretary of Petrapole C&F Agent Staff Welfare Association, said.
Not only that, several groups of fishermen are now catching jatka, the juveniles of Hilsa from 4-15 cm available during the period from January to May, to meet the huge demand in the black market defying firm instruction of the government.
Bangladesh Coast Guard officials yesterday said they have seized 6, 53,001 kgs of jatka along with different spices of prone amounting to Tk 844.52 crore raiding different spots at country’s riverine routes in 2013.
In only 25 days of current January, the Coast Guard also seized about 1 lakh kgs of jatka along with large quantity of fishing nets.
