49 businesses allowed to export hilsha to India

The Ministry of Commerce issued a circular today allowing 49 businesses to each export 50 tonnes of hilsa to India marking upcoming Durga Puja which is scheduled to begin on October 9.
 
The businesses had submitted applications based on a September 21 circular in which the ministry approved the export of 3,000 tonnes of hilsa to India this year citing a foreign ministry recommendation.
 
Usually, the decision of hilsa export is conveyed to the commerce ministry by the fisheries and livestock ministry, which was initially not in favour of it this year.
 
In fiscal year 2023-24, Bangladesh exported 664.86 tonnes of hilsa to India at $7.71 million, according to data from the Department of Fisheries. That year, the country caught of 571,342 tonnes of hilsa.
 
In fiscal year 2022-23, 1,376.42 tonnes were exported for $13.68 million. In that year 566,593 tonnes of hilsa were caught.