In a first, India has exported around 500 metric tonnes of roe-filled Hilsas from Gujarat to Bangladesh in the last two months and another 150 MT of the fish is likely to be exported in the coming weeks, people aware of the developments said.
“Usually, it is the other way round. Hilsa from Bangladesh, which is considered the best for its taste, is imported around the Durga Puja time. But this is for the first time that Hilsa is being exported to Bangladesh. It is primarily the roe-filled Hilsa from Gujarat,” said SA Maqsood, secretary of the Fish Importers’ Association in West Bengal.
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Bangladeshi Hilsa prized for taste and demand
Hilsa is often tagged as the “Queen of Fish” for its taste . The Bangladeshi-hilsa found in the Padma River, is considered to be tastier than its Indian counterpart, which is found in the Hooghly River in West Bengal. Outside West Bengal, the Bangladeshi Hilsa is in great demand in Assam and Tripura.
{{/usCountry}}Hilsa is often tagged as the “Queen of Fish” for its taste . The Bangladeshi-hilsa found in the Padma River, is considered to be tastier than its Indian counterpart, which is found in the Hooghly River in West Bengal. Outside West Bengal, the Bangladeshi Hilsa is in great demand in Assam and Tripura.
{{/usCountry}}“The prime reason behind the export is the huge production of jilsa 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.
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Hilsa breeds in Gujarat’s reservoirs and rivers
“In Gujarat, while a residential population of the hilsa is found in the Ukai reservoir, shoals of the fish migrate from the Arabian Sea to river Narmada and Tapi for spawning,” Basanta Kumar Das, director of Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, said.
Fish traders in West Bengal said that as the consumption of the fish is very little in Gujarat, most of the catch is sent to West Bengal. The consignments reach Howrah and Kolkata from where they are sent to other parts of the state including north Bengal.
Meanwhile, with the festive season round the corner and Durga Puja scheduled in mid-October, fish importers in West Bengal have already approached the Bangladesh authorities like every year requesting to allow export of the silver delicacy to West Bengal, where it is in high demand.
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Bangladesh resumed limited Hilsa exports to India in 2019
While the former Sheikh Hasina-government imposed a ban on the export of hilsa in 2012, every year since 2019 a few thousand metric tonnes of the fish were allowed to be exported to India during this time of the year. It was considered as a Durga Puja gift.
In 2024 the Bangladesh government allowed around 49 companies to export 2420 MT of the fish to India through the Petrapole border.
“This year we have already written to the Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and other ministers and officials,” said Maqsood.
In 2025, West Bengal procured around 5000 MT of Hilsa from Gujarat, ten times more that what is usually procured annually.