Durga Puja sans Hilsa, a menu Bengalis can't even think of

Subhasish Mitra (Wide Angle)

Bangladesh government’s decision to lift an embargo on the export of Hilsa to India and send 3,000 kilo of the fish to Kolkata is indeed a good news, especially ahead of the Durga Puja festival.

 

Hilsa exports are banned in Bangladesh. As a goodwill gesture, however, the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government used to permit shipment of a small quantity to India in September-October every year (at the time of Durga Puja).

 

But, a cloud of uncertainty hovered over this arrangement when an interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus took over following Hasina’s ouster in early August.

 

Due to the political upheaval in Bangladesh, fish traders in Kolkata had almost given up hopes of importing "Padmar Ilish Maach" this year, which many saw as the ultimate red herring.

 

However, as a manna from heaven, the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government announced the approval of 3,000 tonne of the tasty hilsa fish for export to India -- just in time for Durga puja.

 

Irrespective of boundary issues, India and Bangladesh are two neighbours held together by strands of memories of being one land, with people sharing same food habits, especially fish when it comes to Hilsa, that not only holds pride of place in Bengali platter but is also the most prominent aspect of people-to-people contact across the border.

 

In recent years, Hilsa imports from Bangladesh have seen a fall, while shipments from Myanmar have increased. Last year, India imported 588.97 tonnes of Hilsa from Myanmar and 573.66 tonnes from Bangladesh. In 2022-23, 149.23 tonnes were imported from Myanmar and 1,309.46 tonnes from Bangladesh.

 

For the present Bangladesh government, Hilsa trade is not just a gift but an export to earn foreign exchange. Trade ties are an important feature of bilateral relations.

 

Rich in nutrition, Hilsa is highly popular in West Bengal, where it is designated as the state fish. It is mostly found in the Hooghly-Bhagirathi river system and in the Bay of Bengal.

 

Hilsa is an anadromous fish which migrates from the ocean to rivers for spawning. Shoals of males and females of the species migrate twice a year for breeding in rivers — mid-February to April and September-October.

 

According to the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India, importers seek permission for bringing in 3,000 to 4,000 tonnes of Hilsa every year, though actual annual imports remain between 1,200 and 1,300 tonnes.

 

Most Hilsa imports take place in a 15-day period in September-October through the Petrapole land port in Barasat in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.