Regrettably, we are not adequately aware that Bangladesh has a global brand in its backward – Hilsha, the most delicious fish variety in this part of the world.
Hossain Zillur Rahman*
Just as the way Royal Bengal Tiger has made Bangladesh known to the world, silver-coloured Hilsha offers a higher potential than that in view of its sanctuary in the Bay of Bengal, unique delicacy, cultural value and potential of capturing only the high-value export market. Hilsha can no doubt overtake Salmon and Toona, two popular varieties of sea fish, in many cases, should we present it properly. There is a potential of raising annual production of Hilsha to half a million tonnes from the current level of around 350,000 tonnes within a very short span of time.
It’s actually a matter of challenge to be taken up by us Bangladeshis to brand this fish as major blessing for Bangladesh. We at Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC), in association with International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN), made an exercise on the state of Hilsha recently.
Yes, Hilsha has made a comeback in terms of increase in production and availability in the rivers in their estuaries, if not in the interior part unlike the case earlier when the people called it Poddar Ilish (Hilsha of the Padma). A reason of success of Hilsha is the taste and culture of the people who have created social awareness and demand for Hilsha and once their purchasing power started increasing since the mid-1990s.
Hilsha production came to the lowest point in around 2002, 30 percent lower than the output in the mid-1980s, as a consequence of declining trends. That in fact gave a wake-up call and the government came up with initiative to increase Hilsha production by taking a set of steps and actions like banking catch of Hilsha fries (jatka).
Fishery scientists played a very constructive role in this regard. They helped the government to establish five sanctuaries, analyzing scientific data, trends of production, routes of Hilsha and their biological behavior. They began to build up a case in favour of Hilsha. Simultaneously, as the rising middle class people wanted to consume Hilsha fish, the mismatch between the demand and supply was exposed.
In 2003, the government of Bangladesh undertook a long-term programme – Hilsha Fisheries Management Action Plan – to save Hilsha, help its breeding, increase production and facilitate healthy and sustainable catch of the fish. While banning catch of jatka, the government also provided assistance to the fishermen who were asked not to catch them. Hilsha production has now doubled, compared to the output during the leanest years, and the availability of the fish in the southern rivers increased as well.
Of course the credit goes to all concerned – the government, scientists, fisherman and also the people at large. A remote challenge is to bring Hilsha back to the Padma, as we know from the memory of the old people. It’s encouraging to note that Hilsha can help Bangladesh to attain the next stage of development, especially building a global image plus capturing the high-end export market of fish. We have success in protecting and promoting Hilsha and this success can be extended by increasing production to meet the domestic needs and by diversifying export market.
I think we need to take a three-fold initiative to achieve success in harnessing maximum benefits out of the potential of Hilsha, a key component of our pursuit of the Blue Economy. First, scientific knowledge of Hilsha should be supported by government policies and the people’s awareness and response. Second, it’s not a question of development of the fisheries sector alone; the fate of fishermen community must be changed alongside sectoral development. Third, there should be proper targeting and steps for capturing the global high value consumer market and Hilsha can take a significant portion of that market.
For branding we need to take specific steps. We should first ensure the patent rights of Hilsha for Bangladesh. We need to utilise sophisticated idea for promoting the market of Hilsha at home and abroad. I would recommend floating of Hilsha conservation fund and 1 percent tax on exports of Hilsha for supporting the initiative.
We have reasons to be optimistic that the silver coloured fish, Hilsha, can become a brand ambassador of Bangladesh in short course of time.
*Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman is a former adviser (minister) to the caretaker government and currently the Executive Chairman at PPRC.
