Kolkata’s Durga Puja markets will not receive their usual consignments of Padma hilsa from Bangladesh this year because a 22-day fishing ban coincides with the festive period. The ban, imposed to protect the fish during its peak breeding season, began at midnight on October 8 and will remain in force until October 29.
Importers who usually bring special consignments of hilsa to markets in Calcutta during Puja said no boxes of Padma hilsa would arrive this year. Atul Chandra Das, president of the Fish Importers’ Association in West Bengal, said the timing of the ban left no possibility of receiving the fish during the festival, which falls in the third week of October.
“No consignment of Padma’r ilish will come to Calcutta this year. So, during Durga Puja, ilish lovers in the city will miss the distinctive flavour of the Padma’r ilish,” Das said. He added that the festival fell in the middle of the ban period, making imports from Bangladesh unavailable during the main days of demand.
Bengal typically receives about 3,000 to 4,000 tonnes of Padma hilsa during the festive season. Imports were higher until the 2023 Durga Puja during the Sheikh Hasina government. After the government fell in August 2024, Bangladesh reduced hilsa exports to India.
In 2024, Bangladesh’s interim government led by Muhammad Yunus allowed 2,400 tonnes of hilsa to be exported to India. Bengal received a consignment of around 3,000 tonnes during last year’s festive season, although a source cited by The Telegraph said the final volume was at least 20 per cent lower.
The supply reduction has also been linked to falling hilsa production in Bangladesh. The Daily Star, a Bangladeshi English-language newspaper, reported last month that hilsa production stood at 5 lakh tonnes in the 2024-25 financial year, a year-on-year decline of 5.5 per cent, citing data from the Department of Fisheries.
Bangladesh halted hilsa exports to India in July this year. India subsequently began exporting Gujarat hilsa to Bangladesh for the first time, but Bangladesh stopped importing the fish last month, citing quality concerns, according to a source cited in the report.
The shortage is expected to be felt in Kolkata and adjoining areas, where many families traditionally visit local fish markets during Puja. A standard Padma hilsa weighing between 1kg and 1.5kg usually sells for about ₹2,000 in Kolkata markets. Last year, prices ranged from ₹1,900 to ₹2,500.
A small quantity of Padma hilsa could still enter Bengal through alleged smuggling during the period of peak demand. However, the Border Guard Bangladesh last month sought the Border Security Force’s help to stop the alleged smuggling of the fish into India. A Kolkata trader said that if the smuggling stopped completely, consumers would find it difficult to obtain Padma hilsa this year.
Hilsa caught locally off Digha and Diamond Harbour will remain available. Bengal also normally procures around 3,000 tonnes of hilsa from Myanmar and about 4,500 tonnes from Bharuch in Gujarat, although the catch from the Bay of Bengal has not been particularly high this season.
