Hilsa: The end of fish diplomacy between India and Bangladesh?

Bangladesh has intensified its crackdown on hilsa supplies to India, enforcing a long-standing ban.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS ElectionUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessWomen at the HelmFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewsletters'Fish diplomacy' setback for India and BangladeshGetty ImagesThe hilsa is a beloved fish of the Bengalis Indians in West Bengal may face a shortage of hilsa, their favourite fish, as millions gear up to celebrate the state's biggest festival, Durga Puja, in October.

That is because Bangladesh, the world’s largest producer of the fish, has intensified its crackdown on the transportation of hilsa to neighbouring India, reinforcing a long-standing ban on exports.

The renewed effort, which came a month after a new government took office in Dhaka, is to ensure that the prized fish remains more accessible to consumers in Bangladesh, according to Farida Akhter, adviser to the Bangladesh ministry of fisheries and livestock.

“A lot of fish is [still] going from Bangladesh to India [despite the ban]. This time we will not allow the hilsa to cross the border,” she told the BBC.

Hilsa is Bangladesh's national fish but it is a luxury, affordable only for the rich and middle class; the poor can't buy it.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2l15j4dq9po

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