Hilsa Slips Far Beyond Middle-Class Reach Even in Chandpur, With Roe Selling for 6,000 Taka a Kilogram

❐ District Correspondent

At the traditional big station fish market in Chandpur, known as the ‘capital of hilsa’, touching hilsa is now an absolute luxury! Far from the lower class, silver hilsa is beyond the reach of the middle class. Added to this is the unprecedented increase in the price of hilsa eggs. The price of hilsa has doubled in the space of a year.

Today, Wednesday, July 29th, an incredible scene can be seen when visiting the traditional big station fish market. Hilsa eggs are now being sold in the warehouses for 5,500 to 6,000 taka per kilogram! However, senior and regular fish traders at the market said that last year, in the same season, eggs were sold for 2.5 to 3,000 taka per kilogram. Ordinary buyers and food lovers are shocked to see these skyrocketing prices.

Several buyers who came to the pier expressed their anger and disappointment, saying that the price of hilsa is now skyrocketing in the market. They had not faced such a situation when buying hilsa fish and eggs in any previous year.

A buyer lamented, “The way prices are being jacked up, it now feels like a crime for the common man to even touch or think about buying hilsa.”

Despite having the opportunity to witness the abundance of Hilsa standing on the banks of the Padma and Meghna, many lower and middle class families have to return empty-handed after being hit by the increased price at the ghat. Whether it is a syndicate of traders or a supply shortage – there is a huge debate about the reason for this unusual jump in prices.