The ongoing violence and protests in Bangladesh have dealt a severe blow to the fish trade in West Bengal, with Howrah’s bustling fish market experiencing a dramatic decline in sales. The disruptions have led to a sharp drop in fish imports, inflicting substantial financial losses on traders in Kolkata. According to a report by news agency ANI, the quantity of fish arriving from Bangladesh has plummeted, resulting in daily financial losses amounting to crores of rupees.
For the past four to five days, the import and export of fish between India and Bangladesh have been completely halted, severely affecting the supply of popular fish varieties, including the highly prized Hilsa. Syed Anwar Maqsood, secretary of the Fish Importers’ Association, expressed concern over the situation, noting, “We are in the business of exporting and importing fish from Bangladesh. For the last month, ever since the protests started, the market has been affected. Our export and import of fish have taken a hit.”
Previously, around 100 to 110 metric tonnes of various fish were exchanged daily between India and Bangladesh. However, this volume has drastically reduced, resulting in daily losses running into lakhs of rupees. Maqsood further elaborated, “On the occasion of Durga Puja, Bangladesh used to give us special permission for Hilsa fish for one month every year. Now, due to the situation in Bangladesh, it seems unlikely that Hilsa fish will be available.”
Hilsa, renowned for its distinctive taste and sourced from the Padma River in Bangladesh, is a favourite among Bengalis and enjoys widespread distribution across India and internationally. The disruption in supply is anticipated to result in potential losses running into crores, with around 200 metric tonnes of fish affected.
Despite the bleak outlook, the association remains hopeful for a turnaround. “We expect the situation to normalise within the next few weeks. We are in continuous dialogue with our counterparts in Bangladesh, but the situation remains unstable. Our payments are delayed, and the overall business outlook is uncertain,” Maqsood said. He also called on the Indian government to consider the situation in Bangladesh and work towards fostering strong relations with the new government there, emphasizing the importance of stable bilateral ties for the smooth running of the fish trade.
Source: abp
