For Hilsa enthusiasts, the news isn’t good. Prices are soaring this year, and the situation is expected to worsen as the import window from Bangladesh draws to a close. This comes at a time when the catch is declining, and imports are reduced. After a brief ban, supplies from Bangladesh have resumed, but at a slower pace, pushing prices up. In Kolkata’s wholesale fish markets, Padma ilish, or Hilsa from the Padma river, a 1.5 kg fish now costs ₹2,000-2,200, a whopping ₹600 increase from last year. Retail prices are even higher, at ₹100-150 more. The daily arrivals in Delhi’s C.R. Park markets have dropped to one quintal, compared to 3-4 quintals in previous years. In Kolkata, each shop receives only 5 kg of Hilsa, down from 20 kg earlier, according to traders.
One of the main culprits behind the price rise is the declining catch over the years. “There has been a substantial decline in production over the past decade, fueling the price increase,” said B.K. Das, director of the Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI). “If you consider the period from the 1980s till now, the decline is more than 70%, and it’s likely to remain stagnant for the next 5-7 years.” Das attributes this to torrential rains during the time when Hilsa migrate from the sea to the rivers, impacting production. This year, India’s Hilsa production is estimated at around 4,000 tonnes, compared to 5,000 tonnes last year.
Hilsa is not bred artificially, as it swims upstream from the sea to freshwater for spawning and returns afterward. Bangladesh is responsible for over three-quarters of the world’s Hilsa catch, followed by Myanmar (15%) and India (4%). Connoisseurs regard Bangladesh’s Padma Ilish as tastier than its Indian counterpart from West Bengal’s Hooghly. Unlike Bangladesh, which strictly monitors fishing and enforces bans and rules on fish size, Indian fishermen don’t always adhere to these regulations, depleting fish populations, explained Das. Additionally, Bangladesh has a larger Sundarbans backwaters area compared to India.
Another factor contributing to the price hike is the shorter import window this year (26 September-12 October), compared to the usual 1 September to 31 October, with a lower quantity on offer. Prices eased slightly after Bangladesh lifted the ban, but the window will close soon. In 2012, Bangladesh completely banned Hilsa exports, but since 2019, a few thousand tonnes are allowed to be exported to India during Durga Puja as a gesture of goodwill. “As soon as the import window closes, ilish prices are expected to go up by ₹400-500 per kg for the 1 kg and above size, unless the landing of ilish from the sea to river water increases in India,” said Syed Anwar Maqsood, secretary of the Fish Importer’s Association and Howrah Wholesale Fish Market.
Maqsood mentioned that India has received about 250 tonnes since Bangladesh allowed exports of about 2,420 tonnes on 26 September. He doesn’t foresee India importing more than 500 tonnes this year, compared to last year’s 587 tonnes out of 3,950 tonnes allowed, potentially pushing prices up further in the domestic market. Devraj Roy, a fish seller at Delhi’s C.R. Park, believes prices could increase by ₹150-200 per kg for fish weighing 1-1.25 kg due to the demand surge during Durga Puja, and they may remain high for one and a half months. “Once the Ilish price goes up, it never comes down,” he said.
The impact of these price hikes is already being felt by consumers. “It is something that all Bengalis like to have on their plate frequently, but due to high prices this year, we could only have Ilish twice in three months, which wasn’t the case previous years,” said Anirban Mukherjee, a senior project manager at Brillio and a resident of New Town in Kolkata. He shared that he bought Ilish in August for ₹2,500 per kg and again last weekend when the Bangladesh variety arrived, paying ₹1,800 for a 1 kg fish. Saibal Mukherjee, a senior manager-R&D of Berger paints India Ltd and a resident of Kakurgachi, also lamented the high prices. “I thought of buying Ilish after going to the market but after knowing the price quotation, I had to drop the plan given its soaring price this season. However, we managed to get the 700-750 gm sized Ilish twice in three months and four times since mid-April,” he said.
Queries sent to the spokespersons of the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi, spokespeople and secretaries of the union fisheries department, external affairs and commerce ministries remained unanswered at press time.
