Durga Puja: Hilsa exports to India hit 7-year low amid soaring prices, supply shortage
Industry insiders point to a significant gap between demand and supply, coupled with market manipulation
Hilsa exports to India for the Durga Puja season plummeted to a seven-year low this year, with only 145 tonnes being shipped against a government-authorised quota of 1,200 tonnes.
The massive shortfall is primarily attributed to abnormally high local market prices and a sharp supply crisis, making exports financially unviable.
According to data from the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, only 106 tonnes of Hilsa were exported through the Benapole land port, with an additional 39 tonnes moving through the Akhaura port, bringing the total export to a record low.
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Exporters who received permission to ship the festive delicacy were largely unable to meet their quotas due to a severe price hike in the domestic market. Throughout the season, hilsa prices were unusually high, increasing by Tk200 to Tk1,000 per kilogramme by last year depending on size.
This increase was further compounded by an additional Tk200–400 per kg surge just before the conservation ban, driven by peak demand around Durga Puja.
Industry insiders point to a significant gap between demand and supply, coupled with market manipulation. They cite hoarding, over-profiteering by middlemen, and dadon (advance loan) businesses as key factors driving up retail prices abnormally high. This left exporters unable to procure sufficient quantities at competitive prices.
Abdul Mannan, director of Chattogram-based Pacific Sea Foods Limited, exemplified the problem saying that his company was authorised to export 40,000 kg but managed to ship only 1,560 kg.
"The local market price of hilsa was excessively high. Fish supply was also low this year. Furthermore, the price of Burmese hilsa was lower than ours in the Indian markets, prompting buyers to source more from Myanmar," he told TBS.
The 145-tonne figure marks the lowest export volume since the decade-long hilsa export ban was first relaxed in the 2019–20 fiscal year. According to data from the Department of Fisheries and the National Board of Revenue (NBR), the highest export volume during this period was 1,699 tonnes in fiscal year 2020–21. The previous lowest recorded volume was 476 tonnes in FY2019–20.
The hilsa season has now drawn to a close, with a nationwide ban on Hilsa netting, transport, marketing, and stocking enforced from 4 to 25 October to protect the mother fish during its breeding period.
