Agartala, October 12: Allotment of Padma hilsa from Bangladesh to Tripura will not be banned during Durgotsav. Bangladesh government has banned the export of hilsa from October 12 till November 2. Basically, to ensure safe reproduction during the peak breeding season of hilsa, fishing, sale and transportation of golden fish will be prohibited. The Bangladesh government claims that the main purpose of the ban is to protect the mother hilsa that lay eggs during this period. Bimal Roy, a fish importer in Tripura regretted that if the permission to import hilsa from Bangladesh was given a few days earlier, it would have been possible to reach the people of Tripura.
Incidentally, Bangladesh allowed the export of hilsa on September 20. The deadline for importing the fish was fixed till October 30. The frenzy around Durgotsava, the main Bengali festival, has started to mount. In the meantime Padma hilsa has come to Tripura market to satisfy Bengali taste buds. Essentially, festive food is not complete without hilsa on the Bengali plate. And if it is Padma Hilsa then it is difficult to find the language to express feelings. But, there is going to be a slight dip in the festive cheer because hilsa cannot be imported from Bangladesh for the next 22 days.
In this regard, fish importer Bimal Roy said that permission was received from Bangladesh government to import 150 tons of hilsa for Tripura. But, it was possible to import 65 tons of hilsa easily. To his dismay, hilsa arrived at the Akhaura check post in Bangladesh last night. It was decided to enter Tripura this morning. But, since the Bangladesh government has banned the export of hilsa from today, it has not been possible to import that fish. According to him, the Bangladesh government knows the breeding period of Hilsa. In that case, if the permission to import hilsa was given a few days earlier, it would have been possible to reach many people of Tripura during the Durga festival. Also, he added, if Tripura is given a discount on the import of hilsa till next Thursday at least in view of Durgotsava, the appetite of many Tripura residents could be satisfied at the moment of the festival.
Incidentally, hilsa fish from Padma River in Bangladesh is more popular than hilsa fish from other rivers. Hilsa is very popular in Bangladesh and West Bengal and Tripura in India. This golden fish comes from the sea to the river and lays its eggs. About 75 percent of the world’s hilsa is produced in Bangladesh. Hilsa imported from Myanmar besides Bangladesh is available in Tripura market.
