Anisul Islam Noor :
The hilsa fish still remains out of reach of the commoners as its price has gone beyond purchasing capacity of them due to its poor netting even in the peak season.
On Tuesday in city’s, kitchen markets, a piece of medium sized hilsa (750-850g) was sold at taka 750-taka 950 while the small-sized between taka 400 and taka 600. The price of a hilsa weighing over 1.0kg could reach as much as taka 1,800-Tk 2,200, the fish traders said, adding the price is the same as the day before.
In the city’s kitchen markets customers usually surround the hilsa traders mostly out of curiosity just to witness how this traditional fish changes hands in exchange for hefty sums, out of reach to the commoners.
There is no possibility of increasing production in the coming days as the depression in the sea is hampering fishing now, said a proprietor of Seafood.
Despite being the peak season of hilsa, fishermen are getting frustrated due to poor catches of the popular fish in the coastal rivers.
Talking to this reporter, retailers and wholesalers from Dhaka, Barisal and Chittagong on Tuesday said the fish is still costlier in this current full monsoon due to poor netting as well as a huge quantity of hilsa is being smuggled out to India from Bangladesh through different points.
Besides, frequent intrusion of India, Myanmar and Thailand fishermen into Bangladesh waters for catching hilsa is one of the main causes of the crisis during the peak season.
They suggest further strengthening of the vigilance against illegal fishing and to check smuggling to increase supply in the local markets.
The hilsa season starts in the middle of May and continues till September Jaisthya to Ashwin in the Bangla calendar). Though the fish is available around the year, prices become flexible during the full monsoon.
Wares Ali, a transport worker said that last year he had bought hilsa twice when small sized one-piece hilsa was selling at taka 250-taka 300.
“But this year it is very difficult for me to buy a small sized hilsa fish at taka 450. My six member family has not tasted hilsa this season yet,” he said.
Mirazul, a sanitary worker of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), and a road-side tea vendor Ashraf Uddin echoing the same said the hilsa still remains out of reach as its price has gone beyond purchasing capability.
According to the Department of Fisheries (DoF), hilsa production was 0.39 million tonnes in financial year (FY) 2014-15 while the target for hilsa was 0.4 million tonnes in the FY’16.
Production has slightly declined due to low catch levels in prime fishing areas, Primary DoF projection showed.
Md Ramzan Ali, a wholesaler at the Karwan Bazar, said that the price of fish is much higher than the year before at the arats (wholesales) of Chittagong, Barisal, Barguna, Cox’s Bazar and Patuakhali districts.
Md Mahtab Uddin Ahmed, the proprietor of Seafood Bangladesh, also noted that hilsa collection has indeed been much lower than normal this year as only 20-25 tonnes of hilsa are being traded daily, against 50-60 tonnes in the corresponding period of last year at Patharghata, Chittagong.
The hilsa fish still remains out of reach of the commoners as its price has gone beyond purchasing capacity of them due to its poor netting even in the peak season.
On Tuesday in city’s, kitchen markets, a piece of medium sized hilsa (750-850g) was sold at taka 750-taka 950 while the small-sized between taka 400 and taka 600. The price of a hilsa weighing over 1.0kg could reach as much as taka 1,800-Tk 2,200, the fish traders said, adding the price is the same as the day before.
In the city’s kitchen markets customers usually surround the hilsa traders mostly out of curiosity just to witness how this traditional fish changes hands in exchange for hefty sums, out of reach to the commoners.
There is no possibility of increasing production in the coming days as the depression in the sea is hampering fishing now, said a proprietor of Seafood.
Despite being the peak season of hilsa, fishermen are getting frustrated due to poor catches of the popular fish in the coastal rivers.
Talking to this reporter, retailers and wholesalers from Dhaka, Barisal and Chittagong on Tuesday said the fish is still costlier in this current full monsoon due to poor netting as well as a huge quantity of hilsa is being smuggled out to India from Bangladesh through different points.
Besides, frequent intrusion of India, Myanmar and Thailand fishermen into Bangladesh waters for catching hilsa is one of the main causes of the crisis during the peak season.
They suggest further strengthening of the vigilance against illegal fishing and to check smuggling to increase supply in the local markets.
The hilsa season starts in the middle of May and continues till September Jaisthya to Ashwin in the Bangla calendar). Though the fish is available around the year, prices become flexible during the full monsoon.
Wares Ali, a transport worker said that last year he had bought hilsa twice when small sized one-piece hilsa was selling at taka 250-taka 300.
“But this year it is very difficult for me to buy a small sized hilsa fish at taka 450. My six member family has not tasted hilsa this season yet,” he said.
Mirazul, a sanitary worker of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), and a road-side tea vendor Ashraf Uddin echoing the same said the hilsa still remains out of reach as its price has gone beyond purchasing capability.
According to the Department of Fisheries (DoF), hilsa production was 0.39 million tonnes in financial year (FY) 2014-15 while the target for hilsa was 0.4 million tonnes in the FY’16.
Production has slightly declined due to low catch levels in prime fishing areas, Primary DoF projection showed.
Md Ramzan Ali, a wholesaler at the Karwan Bazar, said that the price of fish is much higher than the year before at the arats (wholesales) of Chittagong, Barisal, Barguna, Cox’s Bazar and Patuakhali districts.
Md Mahtab Uddin Ahmed, the proprietor of Seafood Bangladesh, also noted that hilsa collection has indeed been much lower than normal this year as only 20-25 tonnes of hilsa are being traded daily, against 50-60 tonnes in the corresponding period of last year at Patharghata, Chittagong.
