Ban on hilsha export creates negative impact on forex earning, says BFFEA

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Sonia H Moni Hilsha and its eggs worth over Tk 615.9 million remained stockpiled at storages following imposition of export ban on white fishes including hilsha by the government, Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association (BFFEA) said. "As a result, the exporters concerned have been counting significant amount of losses in the forms of bank interest, storage cost apart from their image crisis to foreign buyers," BFFEA president Md Amin Ullah told the FE. The government on July 31, 2012 imposed a ban on export of all kinds of white fishes except shrimp to keep prices of the protein-rich food at reasonable level in the local markets during the month of Ramadan. However, on September 23, last year, the ban on other white fishes except hilsha was withdrawn. BFFEA sources said, exportable hilsha worth around Tk 591.9 million and hilsha eggs worth Tk 24 million of 11 local firms have remained stockpiled since July, 2012, BFFEA said. BFFEA President said "The government has imposed the ban for the sake of common people. But price of 'hilsha' is not so cheap in the domestic retail market. We have to pay above Tk 800 for per kg of hilsha." "Already country's frozen food export is facing a negative growth for the last few months and ban on white fishes including hilsha is creating a negative impact on export'', the BFFEA president added. The price of per kilogram hilsha is now between Tk 800 and Tk 1000 which is 44 per cent higher than the previous year, according to the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB). According to a survey in different city markets on Friday last the price of per kg hilsha varies from Tk 1000 to Tk 1400. The frozen food sector faced a negative growth of nearly 17 per cent during the first eight months of the current fiscal over that in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal, and it also fell short of the target by 16.77 per cent, according to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) data. Bangladesh exports hilsha worth Tk 2.75 billion on an average per year, BFFEA sources said Around 35 million tonnes of hilsha are being netted in Bangladesh a year and of this quantity, 6,000 tonnes are exported. Around 5,000 tonnes are exported to India and the rest goes to Middle Eastern countries, European Union, UK and the USA, BFFEA sources said. BFFEA senior vice-president and Masud Fish Proc. and Ice Complex Ltd managing director Ashraf Hossain Masud said "Hisha is a lucrative item for the Bangladeshi expatriates across the globe and it has big demand among them." "But as I have failed to send the container at right time due to the government ban, the importers are moving to the Myanmar which will create a negative impact on the export earning," he said. BFFEA president said "BD Sea Food Ltd, the only local company, filed a writ petition to high court to export 100 metric tonnes of hilsha and the company got the permission to export it." "But other exporters are in trouble till now as their exportable hilshas remain stockpiled. We have talked to the concerned authorities for several times but got no positive response from them," he also said.