The government has approved the export of 1,200 tons of hilsa to India this year for Durga Puja, less than half of last year’s volume, Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter said on Monday (September 15). She added that the decision was made as a gesture of goodwill and at India’s request.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with local officials, NGOs, and women farmers at the Kurigram Deputy Commissioner’s office, Farida Akhter said that 11,000 tons of hilsa have also been cleared for export to Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries to meet demand from expatriate Bangladeshis.

The adviser noted that the hilsa harvest has declined this year due to juvenile hilsa being caught prematurely, resulting in a tighter domestic supply. “We are planning to sell hilsa at affordable prices in some parts of the country this month,” she said.

Adviser Farida Akhter also announced that efforts are underway to fully vaccinate livestock in Sirajganj, Pabna, and Manikganj districts, along with one other district, to eliminate lumpy skin disease (LSD).

The meeting was attended by Kurigram Deputy Commissioner Sifat Mehnaz, Civil Surgeon Dr. Swapan Kumar Biswas, District Fisheries Officer Muktadir Khan, District Livestock Officer Dr. Habibur Rahman, Additional Deputy Director of DAE Abdullah Al Mamun, and Additional Superintendent of Police Masud Rana, among others.