The news that the interim government in Bangladesh has finally decided to export Hilsa to India ahead of the Durga Puja festival has brought smiles on the faces of fish-loving Bengalis in Bengal.

Rolling back from its earlier decision to ban export of Hilsa to India this year, the Bangladeshi government on Saturday has approved to send 3,000 tonnes of freshwater fish to its neighbouring country.

The commerce ministry of Bangladesh stated today that with requests from different fish importers’ associations in India, 3,000 tonnes of Hilsa would be exported to the latter on the eve of the Durga Pujas.

The ministry has sent a copy of its approval to the importers’ association like Fish Importer’s Association (FIA) in Kolkata today.

The FIA had made an appeal to Tauhid Hossain, an advisor to the Bangladesh government on 9 September requesting him to reconsider the decision to stop export of Hilsa to India considering Durga Puja festival.

FIA in its letter had requested Bangladesh government “to please allow export of Hilsa fish for the Durga Puja” with a reminder that the former has been bringing Hilsa from Bangladesh since 1996.

The commerce ministry in Dhaka has asked the importers to send all requisite documents to the former’s export division by 12 noon on 24 September otherwise applications made after the deadline won’t be accepted. Importers, who have already applied to the interim government, requesting it to allow export of Hilsa to India don’t need to send further applications, according to the ministry.

Even when Bangladesh had banned the export of the fish to India, exceptions were made considering the festive season. It was former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has taken refuge in India after being deposed last month, had reintroduced what is now called, ‘hilsa diplomacy’. More than 2,000 tonnes of Hilsa on an average from the Padma river had been exported to India since 2019 in the run-up to Durga Puja.

This move by the country’s interim government is akin to denying basic rights to Bengalis. Bangladeshi Ilish from Padma, a distributary of river Ganga, is essential to Bengali Puja food.

Fish importers said that every year several hundred tonnes of Hilsa is imported to Bengal via the Petrapole land customs station.

“Between September 2019 and 2023, the government of Bangladesh had allowed the export of Hilsa as a goodwill gesture during Durga Puja. We humbly request the interim government to allow the export even this year,” according to an importer in Howrah.

Last year, the first consignment of Padma ilish arrived in Bengal from Bangladesh through the Petrapole land port on 21 September. Nine cargo trucks, each carrying five tonnes of Hilsa, had come from Barisal.

The Bangladesh commerce ministry had allowed 79 fish exporters to send 3,950 tonnes of Hilsa to India as a special gesture on the occasion of Durga Puja.

Importers said only 1,300 tonnes of Hilsa finally reached the state.

FIA secretary, Syed Anwar Maqsood was not available for comment.