Hilsa prices skyrocket on ‘price gouging’ ahead of Bengali new year celebrations

Prices of Hilsa have skyrocketed ahead of Pahela Baishakh, the Bengali New Year, when consumption of the fish usually shots up.

Buyers allege price gouging by rogue traders because of the growing demand for the fish.
 
Eating the fish with water-soaked rice has been an integral part of the New Year celebrations for ages.
 
During visits to different fish markets on Friday, Hilsa prices were found to have increased to Tk 500 a piece depending on sizes.
 
Traders held the current ban on Hilsa fishing in the River Meghna and adverse weather over the last one week responsible for the exorbitant prices.
 
They said most of the fishes now selling in the market were frozen.
 
According to state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh, prices of Hilsa rose by Tk 200-400 per kilogram in the last one week.
 
On Friday, Hilsa was selling at Tk 800-1400 per kg depending on size of the fishes against Tk 600-1000 a week earlier.
 
Zahed Hossain bought a 900-gram Hilsa for Tk 1,100 from Mirpur’s Rupnagar market. 
 
He told bdnews24.com: “I came to buy two fishes to satisfy the demand of my wife and daughter.
 
“But I could buy only one because of the high prices.”
 
He said traders were deceiving buyers taking advantage of the Pahela Baishakh demand.
 
“The government is not bothered about it,” he added.
 
Asked about the price hike, a trader at Rupnagar market, Dadon Mia, told bdnews24.com they were charging more as the wholesalers had increased the rates.
 
Karwan Bazar wholesaler Mohammad Mostafa said arrival of the fish from Chandpur and Barisal had declined and that contributed to price rise.