Around 45 to 50 tonnes of Hilsa, a strongly flavored white-fleshed fish, arrived in Kolkata on Friday after the Bangladeshi government resumed its export to India ahead of the festive season in October.

Hundreds of locals flocked to the Howrah wholesale fish market in the city after Dhaka issued orders to export 2,420 tonnes of Hilsa to India, according to media reports. There is a huge demand for fish during the ‘Durga Puja’ celebrations, a Hindu festival especially popular in Kolkata.

The secretary of Howrah’s wholesale fish market association, Syed Anwar Maqsood, said they had to overcome huge hurdles and write letters to Bangladesh to allow the trade of Hilsa fish between the countries.

Earlier this month, Dhaka’s interim government led by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus banned the Hilsa exports to India amid the political turmoil in Bangladesh. The order was, however, revoked for the upcoming festive season at the request of India’s fish traders to meet local demands.

(ANI)