How Bangladesh turmoil is changing what’s on Indian dinner plates

The fallout of the political upheaval in Bangladesh is being felt in Indian kitchens, particularly due to the adverse impact on trade of fish between the two countries. Hilsa, or Padma Ilish fish, is dominantly imported by India from Bangladesh. 

With the supply being hit, the price of Hilsa fish – which makes a popular dish in Bengali households – has shot up from Rs 1,200 to Rs 3,000 per kg.     

Arijit Basu, a resident of Chittaranjan Park in Delhi, told Newslaundry, “Bengalis cannot live without Hilsa because its taste is unlike any other fish. That is why, despite it being the most expensive, we eat Hilsa fish regularly.”

A fish shop owner in CR Park, Divyendu Das, said that the supply of Hilsa from Bangladesh has halted. “We are selling the stock that we had bought and stored earlier. In this season, the demand is high and the supply has reduced, that is why the rate is increasing.”

Traders said that about 60 quintals of fish are sold every month in Delhi’s CR Park, of which at least one-third is Padma Ilish fish. Now, the ongoing crisis in Bangladesh is burning a hole in the pockets of Padma Ilish lovers in India.

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