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Bangladeshi hilsa is coming to India ahead of Durga Puja, as a ‘mark of enduring friendship’

Demand for hilsa fish grows in India during Durga Puja. Bangladesh is largest exporter of hilsa & India biggest importer. The fish is intrinsically tied to Bengali culture. 

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New Delhi: Bangladesh Monday announced it has decided to export hilsa fish to India ahead of the Durga Puja festive season as a mark of “enduring Bangladesh-India friendship”.

The neighboring country had decided to ban the export of hilsa fish to India in early September 2024. But following appeals from traders in both countries, the interim government in Bangladesh had decided to allow the export of 3,000 tonnes of hilsa fish during Durga Puja, according to local reports.

Now, in a post on X Monday, Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Riaz Hamidullah said, “#Bangladesh Govt just decided to export the quintessential #fish to #India ahead of #festival seasons, as a mark of enduring Bangladesh-India friendship.”

Bangladesh is the largest exporter of hilsa fish, while India has been its biggest importer. Also called Ilish fish, it is a significant element of Bengali culture.

In many Bengali Hindu families, hilsa is bought when there is a puja at home. Some even offer it to the goddess Lakshmi. Without the fish, the puja is considered incomplete. Hilsa is also a part of wedding rituals.

The demand for the fish in India takes an uptick during the festive season in September and October, the period when Durga Puja is celebrated.

Since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s government in August last year, Bangladesh’s relations with India have strained. India’s decision to host the former Bangladeshi prime minister was looked upon by many in Bangladesh as political interference.

In 2012, Hasina as then prime minister had banned hilsa export over disputes on the Teesta Water Treaty. This ban was lifted in January 2018. Even when the ban was in effect, the Hasina government used to relax it during the Durga Puja season every year.

Hasina reintroduced what is now called, ‘hilsa diplomacy’. Since 2019, more than 1,000 tonnes of hilsa from the Padma River have been exported to India in the run-up to Durga Puja.

Over the last 18 years, the Bangladesh government has been putting frequent bans on fishing for hilsa in the country, generally during October. These restrictions are put in place to keep hilsa’s spawning season undisturbed and give it proper time to reproduce.

Ojas Jaiswal is an alum of ThePrint School of Journalism, currently interning with ThePrint.

(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)


Also Read: Hasina took Rs 2,500 cr from ‘business group’ to help cancel next polls in Bangladesh, alleges top BNP leader


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