 "Bangladesh lifts hilsa export ban, to send 3,000 tonnes to India ahead of Durga Puja")
Bangladesh’s interim government lifted the export ban on hilsa fish on Saturday saying that it would export 3,000 tonnes of fish to India ahead of the upcoming Durga Puja. The export of hilsa, also known as ilish fish, had been banned earlier this month following the ouster of ex-PM Sheikh Hasina.
Durga puja will be celebrated from October 9 to 13.
Bangladesh’s commerce ministry said, “Against the backdrop of appeals by the exporters, approval has been given to export 3,000 tonnes of hilsa fish (to India), fulfilling the specific conditions on the occasion of the upcoming Durga Puja,”.
The ministry asked applicants to contact its relevant wing to obtain export permission.
The Ilish fish holds a revered position in Bengali cuisine, cherished for its refined flavour, unique taste and smooth texture. It has become an integral part of households in Bangladesh, India and Myanmar.
Bangladesh is the world’s largest hilsa producer but it restricts the export of the fish due to high local demand. However, during the Durga Puja festival, it usually relaxes the ban on the export of the fish, which is a much sought-after delicacy of Bengalis.
India’s Fish Importers Association earlier this month urged Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain to allow the export of hilsa to India during Durga Puja, amid uncertainty over the shipments of the fish this year following unrest and change of government in the country.
The Association secretary Syed Anwar Maqsood, in a letter dated September 9, pointed out that while Bangladesh imposed a ban on hilsa export in 2012, it has been allowing its export in a limited quantity from the first week of September until the end of the Durga Puja festival as a goodwill gesture for the last five years.
With inputs from agencies.
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