A festive gift is sailing in from across India’s eastern frontier this Puja—the prized Hilsa, the silver jewel of the Padma. Kitchens across Bengal and indeed India will soon be fragrant with its unmistakable aroma, as the Bangladesh government has officially sanctioned the export of 1,200 metric tonnes of Hilsa ahead of Durga Puja.
The decision, announced on Monday by Bangladesh’s Commerce Ministry and shared on social media platform X by Bangladesh High Commissioner to Delhi, Riaz Hamidullah, has stirred excitement on both sides of the border.
The price has been fixed at a minimum of $12.5 per kilogram—about 1,525 Bangladeshi taka. Remarkably, this means that the Padma’s Hilsa will reach Indian markets at a rate cheaper than what consumers in Bangladesh itself are paying, as domestic prices in Dhaka and beyond have soared.
This year, Hilsa production in Bangladesh has fallen to a historic low, severely straining fishermen and fish farmers. Despite this scarcity, Dhaka has chosen to dispatch the much-coveted catch to India—a gesture that experts read as more than commerce but as diplomacy plated on silver scales.
Also Read: WB receives 50MT Hilsa consignment from Bangladesh
Just as mangoes from Bangladesh were sent earlier this year to the Indian President, Prime Minister and Chief Ministers of Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya and West Bengal, this Hilsa diplomacy continues a long tradition of culinary goodwill.
Under Muhammad Yunus’ caretaker government, Dhaka has kept alive the legacy once fostered by Sheikh Hasina’s administration—using iconic produce like mangoes and Hilsa as emissaries of friendship. For Bengalis, who hold the Hilsa as more than just food but as heritage, the arrival of these gleaming fish before Puja is nothing short of a celebration.
Also Read: With B’desh Hilsa scarce, Bengal turns to Gujarat, Myanmar
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