Editorial
The cruel hilsa joke
Adopt measures that were effective last year
IN these days of high staple price, thankfully going down by wee bits though, that we have to bring up the story of hilsa might sound a little ironical; but is it? For quite some time, the fish delicacy has been an elusive, almost unreachable item, particularly to the consumers of limited means.
No amount of imagination is perhaps enough to work out what the price of a rather ordinary looking hilsa could be. It's really baffling to learn that a couple of big hilsa could cost its buyer no less than Tk 4,000! The price spiral is being attributed to the Bengali New Year which will be celebrated next week hopefully in a perfect mood of festivity. Fried hilsa will be part of the day's menu and that explains such rush for the fish now. But then we must not forget that the day was observed in the past also with the hilsa lovers doing exactly what they are doing now. But never did the prices shoot up so abnormally high. After all, a hilsa costing Tk 2,000 may sound like a cruel joke, particularly to those who were once capable of buying it.
Obviously, this is not the peak season of this popular fish. But can the consumers hope that the prices will come down in the days ahead? The government took some stringent measures like clamping a ban on catching of small hilsa (known as Jhatka) and suspending export of the fish temporarily. The moves paid good dividends and people could buy the fish, after a long time. Also it is important that the three major breeding grounds be protected to allow the fish to lay their eggs.
The situation really looks grim this year. Nevertheless, the government has to take the same measures that effectively raised the quantity of hilsa supply to the markets. The law enforcers should be alerted by the developments which show that the supply of the fish at the moment is indeed very unsatisfactory.
As for the poor consumers, are they to strike off one more item from their daily menu. But that certainly is not the answer to the hilsa price hike. The price has to be kept within reasonable limits.
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