http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/07/stories/2008070756512000.htm
HINDU
July 7, 2008
Mumbai hilsa replaces Bangladesh variety
KOLKATA: This silver-scaled fish has been synonymous with Bengali
cuisine for ages, so much so that it has come to be identified with
Bengali culture as a whole. Hilsa is a part of various rituals and
festivities in this part of the country.
Traditionally, hilsa fished from the Padma river of Bangladesh has
been a favourite, which often led retailers to pass off hilsa caught
from rivers in West Bengal as the Banglade**** variety.
Of late, however, hilsa fish from Bharuch (Gujarat) and Mumbai has
nearly replaced the dwindling Banglade**** variety over the last three
years. =93These fishes are bigger and tastes better than the ones
available in Bangladesh or Kolaghat in West Bengal,=94 said Syed Maqsood
Anwar, secretary of the Fish Im****ters=92 Association here.
He said five lakh kg of hilsa from Bharuch and Mumbai arrive here
every season.
Speaking from Mumbai, Shaukat Aziz, owner of Chand International, a
fish ex****ting company, said, =93Hilsa from the Tapti river at Bharuch
is of best quality though smaller in size =97 700-750 grams on average.=94
He said big hilsa, weighing around two to two-and-a-half kg are found
in the Arabian Sea.
=93West Bengal is the biggest consumer of these fish, which are sold at
Rs. 350-400 per kg in various Kolkata markets.=94
According to Mr. Aziz, around 100 metric tons of hilsa worth Rs. two
crore was trucked off to West Bengal from Mumbai in 2007.
He cited excessive harvesting, polluted rivers, and the hike in the
minimum ex****t price by Bangladesh as the main reasons for declined
supply from West Bengal and Bangladesh.
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