Where Does the Hilsa Go?

Although the catches are still poor from the Padma and Meghna rivers, the wholesale hilsa markets in Chandpur have become flooded with the delicious fish from the coastal Barisal, Bhola, Barguna, Patuakhali and other districts. Traders say, in the last couple of days, at least two thousand maunds of hilsa worth about Tk 4 crore (at the rate of minimum Tk 20,000 a maund) came to Chandpur every day. However, nobody including the officials of the fisheries department here could say how or on what conditions the 35 wholesalers sell the fish to the exporters and their middlemen. Sources said, many exporters are either freezing the fish due to the on going ban on export or sending a portion to different cities in the country for better profit. Also, the allegation is rife that a huge quantity of the fish is regularly smuggled out, keeping the price, especially of the bigger ones, out of the reach of the local consumers