Kolkata: Bangladesh on Tuesday evening cancelled import permits for hilsa, halting a trade that had seen around fish traders in the country import 550 tonnes of Indian hilsa over the past couple of months. This was the first time the prized fish crossed the border from Petrapole in North 24 Parganas to Benapole in Jessore, reversing the usual direction of trade.The development came days after Union fisheries minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh and West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari highlighted the reversal in the traditional hilsa trade flow.Sources in Bangladesh said further import of hilsa, nearly all of it from Gujarat, was summarily suspended after a meeting at Bangladesh secretariat on Tuesday. Importers said the move, taken at a time when hilsa catches in Bangladesh are at a record low, could also mean that no hilsa will be exported to India during the festive season, as has happened over the past several years.Fish importers in Howrah said that unless Bangladesh grants export licences to traders on Thursday, any chance of hilsa connoisseurs in Kolkata getting to taste fish from the Padma-Meghna river system can be ruled out. Friday is a holiday in Bangladesh, and after that there will be less than 10 days left before the fishing ban begins on Oct 4.Bangladesh hilsa is famed for its taste, quality and flavour and is exported to several countries, including India. The Gujarat variety, on the other hand, is considered inferior in taste. Bangladesh Matsyajibi Federation president Rabindranath Barman said complaints had arisen after inferior-quality hilsa imported from India was allegedly passed off as Bangladeshi hilsa in some markets, prompting the suspension of the permits.“There is a huge difference between Bangladeshi hilsa and Gujarat hilsa in terms of taste and quality. There is a huge price difference as well. Some unscrupulous traders were allegedly taking advantage of the situation by selling Gujarat hilsa as Bangladeshi hilsa. People in Bangladesh were being cheated,” said Barman, who was present at the meeting at the Bangladesh secretariat.Howrah Wholesale Fish Market secretary Syed Anwar Maqsood, who is also secretary of the Fish Importers Association in West Bengal, termed the development unfortunate and said it had cast a shadow over the prospect of Bangladesh exporting its own hilsa to India ahead of Durga Puja.“At present, landings have dried up in Gujarat. There is around 375 tonnes of Myanmar hilsa in stock here. If Bangladesh hilsa does not arrive, only the Myanmar variety will be available in the market during the festival,” said Maqsood, who had travelled to Bangladesh last month to lobby officials in the commerce ministry for hilsa exports to India.
