Bangladesh has sent 104 tonnes of hilsa to India after temporarily relaxing the ban on its export to mark Durga Puja, bdnews24.com reports.
The first batch was delivered through the Benapole Land Port on Wednesday, said Aswadul Alam, fisheries inspector at the port.
The commerce ministry had given the greenlight to send a total of 2,080 tonnes of hilsa across the border. As many as 52 companies were granted permission to export the fish, said Alam.
The companies will be allowed to export a maximum of 40 tonnes of hilsa each until Oct 10. Two C&F agents, Mila Enterprise and Biswas Trade, are handling the customs.
The export price of Hilsa has been set at $10 per kg, said Nurul Amin Biswas, owner of Biswas Trade. Hilsa is being exempted from customs duty in India and Bangladesh.
Eight companies have sent about 104 tonnes of hilsa to India on the first day of export operations, Abul Hasan, senior fisheries officer of the Upazila.
Although hilsa from the Padma River is popular in West Bengal, the Bangladesh government stopped exporting it after 2012 due to declining production. Bangladesh resumed hilsa exports in 2019 in a limited capacity.
