Fish prices remain stubbornly high

Prices of most varieties of fish still remained high in the kitchen market as supply did not increase despite a peak season.
Experts and traders said collection of fish did not increase, although water flow rose in river-beels, which in turn pushed up prices.
Non-farm fish such as Hilsa, Boal, Pabda, Kalbaus,Tengra, Golsha, Aair, Kachki, Mola, Puti, Darikana, Batashi, Bata, Baila, Shrimp, Baim etc are cheaper in rainy season compared with other seasons.
But the condition is different this year as the prices of fish are still higher compared to that of previous years, traders and officials said.
Golsha has been selling at Tk 450-600 per kg (based on sizes) for the last three months while prices of Kachki, Puti, and Darikana are stable for last two months, retailers said.
"Pabda are now selling at Tk650-680 (small) and Tk750-800 (big) per kg, the price hasn't decreased this rainy season," Md Kader, a retailer at Chapra Mashjid Bazar under Azimpur area, said.
He said every year the prices of river fish go down during July-August period.
"Hilsa prices have decreased by a very negligent amount this year in rainy season, it is unexpected," he said.
He said price of Hilsa reduced by Tk20-30 per piece few days back and now  a medium sized fish (750-850 gram) is selling at Tk550-650 while big sized Hilsa (above 900 gram) is being sold at minimum Tk750.
"The price was at least 30 per cent lesser at the corresponding period of last year compared to the current market price," he said.
Md Anisur Rahman, a fish trader at Showarighat in the older part of the city, said that supply hasn't increased parallel to the increasing trend of water in major rivers.
Considered a key river port for fish trading in Dhaka city, "The price of fish is still higher at Maoa Ghat," he said.
However, although the government data are showing that fish production has increased in FY'14, but it is not imitated in the market, a Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM) official said.
He said fish price is 20-25 per cent higher in July-August period compared with that of the corresponding period last year.
An official at the Department of Fisheries (DoF) said that the country's fish production reached all time high of 3.55 million tonnes in fiscal year (FY) 2013-14.
He said that production of traditional river, beel, haor and canal fish has been decreasing while aquiculture fish output is increasing.
"You can see that prices of farm fish like Pangash, Koi, Rui, Katla, Bighead and other carp fish are cheaper and stable in the market," he said.
Production of tilapia fish in the country reached to 0.145 million tonnes in 2013, which was just 0.004 million tonnes in 2002.
But he pointed out that among the indigenous fish, output of Hilsa has been increasing for last three years.
"We produce 0.404 million tonnes of Hilsa last financial year (FY'14)," he said.
He said that random smuggling of Hilsa to India has made the price of the national fish higher.
Prof Dr Mostafa Ali Reza Hossain of Department of Fisheries Biology and Genetics at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) told the FE that the production of indigenous fish has been reducing but its demand is increasing.
He said nearly 100 fish species are now in vulnerable condition, of which 50 species are critically in danger in the country.
Construction of dams in the upstream by neighbouring country, killing of water bodies, chemical-based agriculture, unplanned dam and culverts, inertia of the government etc are the key reasons behind the reduction.
"A 20 species of fish has been extinct forever in the country," he said.