Bangladesh stops importing Hilsa from India; Dhaka may not export fish to India

Bangladesh has stopped importing Hilsa from India and Myanmar, raising concerns that it may not allow Hilsa exports to India ahead of Durga Puja.

The Bangladesh government has stopped the import of Hilsa, including from India and Myanmar, after cancelling no-objection certificates issued to 103 fish importers, raising concerns among Indian traders that Dhaka may also withhold permission to export the fish to India ahead of Durga Puja.

In a first, India has exported roe-filled Hilsa from Gujarat to Bangladesh in the last two month

“In a sudden move the Bangladesh government has stopped the import of Hilsa. An order was issued by the fisheries department of Bangladesh in this regard on Tuesday. We aren’t sure why the permission was withdrawn. They have stopped the import of Hilsa from Myanmar too. More than 580 MT of Hilsa was imported from India in the last two months,” secretary of the Fish Importers’ Association in West Bengal SA Maqsood said.

In a first, India has exported roe-filled Hilsa from Gujarat to Bangladesh in the last two months. Meanwhile, Bangladesh had allowed around 1,200 metric tonnes (MT) of Hilsa to be exported to West Bengal this year.

The Sheikh Hasina government had imposed a ban on the export of Hilsa in 2012. However, since 2019, the Bangladesh government has been allowing a few thousand tonnes of Hilsa to be exported to India every year ahead of the festive season.

Hilsa is often tagged as the “Queen of Fish” for its taste, and the Bangladeshi Hilsa found in the Padma River is considered tastier than its Indian counterpart, which is found in the Hooghly River in West Bengal.

“The prime reason behind the export was the huge production of Hilsa in Gujarat. Only the roe-filled fishes are being exported. In Bangladesh the fish-eggs would be processed separately and exported to other countries, while the fish would be dried for future consumption as dried fish in Cox Bazar, Chittagong, Sylhet and other areas,” said Maqsood.

Fish traders in West Bengal said that as fish consumption is very low in Gujarat, most of the catch was sent to West Bengal. The consignments reached Howrah and Kolkata, from where they were sent to other parts of the state, including north Bengal.

The Bangladesh government’s order said that the fisheries department had cancelled the no-objection certificates issued to 103 fish importers in the country. The Hilsa was mostly imported from India and Myanmar, with around 1,739 MT imported.

Meanwhile, with the festive season round the corner and Durga Puja scheduled for mid-October, expectations are running high that consignments of Padma Hilsa will arrive soon through the Petrapole land port along the India-Bangladesh border.

Importers in Kolkata, however, are apprehensive this year that despite their appeals to the Bangladesh government, no Hilsa from Bangladesh may arrive this festive season.

“Like every year, we have approached the Bangladesh government to allow export of Hilsa to India (West Bengal) before the Durga Puja. Usually, the approval comes in September. Time is running out. Durga Puja starts from Mahalaya on October 10. Thereafter the ban period on Hilsa-fishing will start in Bangladesh. Even if they allow now, the window will be too short to import a significant quantity of the silver delicacy from across the border,” Maqsood added.

In September 2025, the Bangladesh government allowed the export of 1,200 MT of Hilsa to India. Due to the short window, only 150 MT could be imported. Also, in 2024 and 2023, the authorities allowed 2,420 MT and 3,950 MT to be exported to India. But only 577 MT and 587 MT could reach India in the two years.