Published: 01:24 AM, 15 September 2026
India exports hilsas to Bangladesh
The consignments of hilshas have mainly come from Gujarat and been shipped through Bharuch Port, while some supplies have moved through the Howrah wholesale fish market in West Bengal. -Collected
India has exported around 500 tonnes of hilsa to Bangladesh over the past two months, reversing the traditional flow of the prized fish between the neighbouring countries, The Economic Times reports.
Another 150-200 tonnesis likely to be exported to Bangladesh in the coming weeks, according to fish traders cited by the Indian daily.
The consignments have mainly come from Gujarat and been shipped through Bharuch Port, while some supplies have moved through the Howrah wholesale fish market in West Bengal, it added.
"Bangladesh is importing hilsa from India for the first time. We usually send fish such as boal, rohu, parse and tangra to Bangladesh. This year there is a shortage of hilsa," Syed Anwar Maqsood, secretary of the Howrah Wholesale Fish Importers' Association, told ET.
"In the last two months, some 500 tonnes have been exported, and another 150-200 tonnes are slated in the coming weeks," he said.
Hilsa from Gujarat has relatively limited demand in the Indian market due to its high egg, or roe, content, the report said.
That characteristic, however, makes it particularly "attractive to Bangladeshi buyers", especially in Chattogram and Sylhet, where roe-filled hilsa is in high demand, it added.
"Gujarat hilsa contains a lot of roe, which is highly sought after in Bangladesh. The eggs are also being sold separately for processing and re-exported to other countries by them," Maqsood said.
Bangladeshi traders are processing some of the imported hilsa for overseas markets, while some of the fish is being dried and sold domestically as salted hilsa, ET said.
Bangladesh is traditionally one of the world's largest hilsa-producing countries, accounting for a major share of global production.
The fish also holds a significant place in Bengali culinary and cultural traditions on both sides of the border.
India has reportedly received hilsa consignments from Bangladesh in recent years ahead of Durga Puja.
There is no clarity yet on whether Bangladesh will export Padma River hilsa to India this festive season, the daily said.
Last year, the Bangladesh government allowed 1,200 tonnes of hilsa to be exported before the festival season.
The latest movement marks a rare reversal of the traditional trade flow as the prized fish is being shipped to help bridge a domestic supply gap, ET said.
