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The government has approved the export of 2420 tonnes of Hilsa fish to India ahead of the Hindu community's biggest religious festival, Durga Puja.
In this regard, the Ministry of Commerce issued special approvals to 49 trading firms on Wednesday.
Of the approved firms, 48 of those are permitted to ship 50 tonnes of Hilsa and one firm is permitted to ship 20 tonnes, with the authorisation valid until October 12, 2024, according to the commerce ministry.
On September 21 last year, the commerce ministry announced the export of Hilsa to India ahead of Durga Puja festival. As per the announcement, traders can import 3,000 tonnes of Hilsa this year.
The deadline for applying for permission to export the local fish was September 24.
During shipments, traders are required to abide by the Export Policy-2021-24, and conduct a thorough physical examination by the respective customs authority.
According to the approval, the permission is non-transferrable and only the approved exporters are allowed to engage in the fish exportation.
Besides, the traders will only be able to export the designated volume set by the commerce ministry, and the government reserves the right to halt the export consignments at any time.
In an earlier separate development, the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock declared a 22-day ban on Hilsa fishing, starting from October 13, as it marks the prime breeding season.
Throughout this ban, the procurement, marketing, purchasing, selling, transportation, stocking and exchange of Hilsa will be strictly prohibited nationwide.
In 2023, the commerce ministry approved the export of 3,950 tonnes of Hilsa fish in favour of 79 trading firms out of over 100 applications submitted to the relevant department.