The Hindu Business Line : Bengal may miss its favourite `Hilsa' this monsoon

HARD times are ahead for lovers of the hilsa. The hope of having a sumptuous meal of Bengal's favourite fish may not materialise this monsoon. Even if one catches a glimpse of it in the nearby market, beware of the price tag.

Hilsa imports into India from Bangladesh have literally hit a roadblock as an old Union Agricultural Ministry directive has suddenly been revived to stop the import of the fish totally through land ports.

As a result, the 38 members of the Hilsa Fresh Fish Importers Association have been unable to bring in a single consignment from Bangladesh through the Petrapole-Benapole border route.

The directive dates back to 2001. In a gazette notification, it was then stated that all livestock imports should have a sanitary import slip from the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairy.

These quarantine certificates are issued only at seaports and airports. Since 2001, hilsa importers have been getting no-objection certificates from the eastern regional office of Animal Quarantine and Certification Services under the relevant Union Ministry. Of late, this body has stopped issuing the certificates.

The importers immediately took it up with the West Bengal Government and after severe lobbying by the State Government, the Union Agricultural Ministry on Tuesday agreed to include the Petrapole land port in the list.

However, there are no facilities for the issue of sanitary import slips at Petrapole, which still remains mandatory. So, the amendment made on Tuesday will not bring any respite to hilsa importers. At present, approximately 5,000 tonnes of hilsa is imported from Bangladesh every year. Subsequently, it is retailed not just in West Bengal, but throughout India.

Importers have tried to bring in the fish by air, but found the exercise costly. "We have found that for 500 g fish, the cost of importing by air would be approximately Rs 50 more against importing it through land. This extra cost will have a ripple effect and ultimately prices will jump to prohibitive levels for the ordinary consumer," an importer explained.

Members of the association said that the hilsa catch in West Bengal was not enough to meet the country's total demand. "It is only 10 per cent of total consumption. Moreover, this is the time we store hilsa for the rest of the year", they said.

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