Since India’s eastern neighbor banned hilsa exports in July 2012 to curb overfishing, importers from Kolkata have continued to increase pressure on Dhaka to ease restrictions, especially during Durga Puja when demand traditionally peaks in states such as West Bengal, Assam and Tripura.
ET BureauDurga Puja will begin on October 17 this year and importers are pushing Dhaka to allow hilsa exports at the earliest.
They said late approvals and tight export deadlines have repeatedly prevented the full sanctioned quantity of fish, considered a gastronomic delight, from entering the Indian market.
Hilsa is a seasonal fish caught in the wild. Its collection is limited to a few months of the year, mainly during the rainy season, which limits its availability.
During this time, the hilsa migrates upstream to breed in freshwater rivers and this journey increases its fat content, enriching both the taste and texture.
Also Read: India, Canada Begin Next Round of Negotiations on Proposed Trade Agreement: OfficialImporters in Kolkata, who have been importing hilsa from Bangladesh through Benapole and Akhaura land ports since 1996, said they have also repeatedly urged Dhaka to lift the ban, but to no avail.
This year, importers want the export permit to be issued well before the end of September and without any end date.
“Permit is usually granted with an export window of only 15-20 days, making large-scale shipments difficult and therefore the actual import volume remains much less than the export order issued by the Bangladesh government,” said Syed Anwar Maqsood, secretary of the Fish Importers Association in Kolkata. “We were in Bangladesh last month and met the Bangladesh Commerce Minister on the same issue. We have also urged their government to issue export permits to specifically recognized fish exporters,” he said. Since September 2019, Bangladesh has allowed special limited export of hilsa during the Durga Puja period as a gesture of goodwill.
The figures cited by the association underscore the seriousness of the matter. “In September 2025, Bangladesh allowed the export of 1,200 tonnes of hilsa, but only 150 tonnes were actually exported,” Maqsood said. “A year earlier, with a permit of 2,420 tons, actual exports were 577 tons. In 2023, the gap was even greater: with a permit of 3,950 tons, only 587 tons were exported.”
While Indian importers continue to insist on timely import of hilsa from Bangladesh, the country notably exported 500 tonnes of hilsa from Bharuch in Gujarat for the first time.
“There has been an oversupply of hilsa in Gujarat this time,” Maksud said. “The demand for hilsa from Gujarat in India is limited due to its high egg content. Bangladesh extracts caviar from hilsa and exports it to the US and Europe. The remaining fish are dried and sold in dry fish markets in the Chittagong and Sylhet regions of Bangladesh.”
Indian fish importers said Bangladesh sometimes granted permits to non-fish trading entities, many of which were unable to export even a kilogram of hilsa.