A recent legal petition has been filed in the High Court seeking to cancel the permission to export 3,000 tons of hilsa fish to India and to impose a permanent ban on the export of hilsa from the Padma and Meghna rivers. Supreme Court lawyer Md. Mahmudul Hasan submitted the petition on Wednesday, September 25.
The petition names the Secretaries of the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, the Chairman of the National Board of Revenue, and the Chief Controller of Imports and Exports as respondents.
Prior to filing the petition, the lawyer had issued a legal notice to the relevant government authorities protesting the permission to export hilsa to India.
The notice argued that hilsa is found in various countries, including Bangladesh, India, and Myanmar, and that India, with its vast maritime boundaries, does not need to import hilsa from Bangladesh. Despite this, India primarily imports hilsa from the Padma River in Bangladesh.
The notice also highlighted that Indian agents and fish exporters in Bangladesh stockpile hilsa from the Padma River throughout the year and export it to India with the permission of the Bangladeshi government. This practice, along with illegal smuggling across the border, results in a shortage of Padma hilsa in the local market, forcing Bangladeshi consumers to buy less flavorful sea hilsa.
Furthermore, the notice pointed out that while Bangladesh imports various essential goods from India, the Indian government never exports any goods to Bangladesh without first meeting its own domestic demand. According to Bangladesh’s Export Policy 2021-24, hilsa is not freely exportable.
Therefore, the Ministry of Commerce’s decision to allow hilsa exports to India is seen as contrary to the interests of the Bangladeshi people. The notice requested that the government take necessary measures to halt hilsa exports to India within three days.
