The first shipment of 19 tonnes of Hilsa left Barishal for India on Wednesday evening after the government allowed exporting the fish.
Earlier in the day, the Commerce Ministry allowed the export of 3,950 tonnes of Hilsa in India on the occasion of the Durga Puja, the largest religious festival of the Hindu community.
As per the government decision, 79 exporters were allowed to export Hilsa. They can export 50 tonnes of Hilsa within October 30, 2023.
Five exporters-Mahima Enterprise, Tanisha Enterprise, Masfi Enterprise, AR Enterprise and Sea Gold from the Barishal were allowed to export 50 tonnes of Hilsa each.
Read: Govt allows 3,950 tonnes of Hilsa export to India ahead of Durga Puja
As part of the move, Mahima and Tanisha Enterprises jointly exported 19 tonnes of Hila to India from their warehouses in the Barishal city on Wednesday, said Barishal Matsya Arotdar Association’s General Secretary Nirob Hossain Tutul, also owner of Mahima Enterprise.
He said the first consignment of the Hilsa will arrive in India through Jashore’s Benapole Land Port on Thursday morning.
Lauding the government’s initiative to export the Hilsa officially, fish trader Jahir Sikdar said the smuggling of the national fish will reduce and availability of the fish will also increase at the local markets once export permission is given.
Read: 22-day ban on hilsa fishing to begin on Oct 12: Fisheries Minister
He said a good quantity of the fish is smuggled to India through Jashore, Satkhira and Agartala regularly due to lack of monitoring.