₹1,700/kg: Tepid welcome for Bangla hilsa as high price keeps buyers away
Times of India | 28 September 2024
Kolkata: Hilsa consignments that arrived at the Petrapole-Benapole border reached the markets in Kolkata and its surrounding areas through Patipukur, Sealdah, and Howrah on Friday morning. However, despite crowd among traders at the early morning auction markets, the city markets did not experience the same level of interest from buyers on the first day.
Several buyers in the city markets stayed away due to the high price of the fish, mostly available in sizes between 700 grams and 1.2 kg.
Vendors said the price of the fish varied according to its size range. The fish weighing between 700 to 800 gm was priced at Rs 1,000/kg. The slightly larger ones, weighing about a kilogram, were sold at Rs 1,600/kg. The bigger ones, weighing between 1.2 and 1.5 kg were up for sale at Rs 1,700/kg and onwards. According to Syed Anwar Maqsood, the secretary of the Fish Importers’Association, “Everyone is saying (both traders and buyers) that the quality is good, but the price is quite high.” The fish supplied to the local markets in city originated from the Bhola, Patharghata, Kuakata, and Barisal regions of Bangladesh.
Hilsa from these parts of Bangladesh is much sought-after. According to the vendors, fish weighing between 700 gm and 1.2 kg are more in demand among middle-class buyers.
Amar Das, a fish vendor at Lake Market, stated, “There are no ventures on Friday and Sunday, so I believe prices may drop from Tuesday.” Bablu Das, another fish vendor, said, “I didn't get any phone calls (from my customers), and there wasn’t the usual interest in the market. The tendency to buy hilsa decreases after Vishwakarma Puja, and that factor is also at play here. Sales would have increased if the price was a bit lower.” Rajesh Thakur, a Tollygunge-based businessman, said one of the two boxes of fish he had imported was yet to be opened as there wasn’t any buzz among buyers. But, customers like Keka Mallick, who bought the fish were impressed by its quality.