India seeks letter to Bangladesh govt, seeking hilsa for Durga Puja

The interim government's decision to halt hilsa exports to India has placed India in a challenging position. In response, Indian fish traders have reached out to the Bangladesh government, requesting hilsa for the upcoming Durga Puja. Recently, the "Fish Importers Association," an Indian export organization, submitted an application to Bangladesh's Foreign Affairs Advisor, Touhid Hossain, seeking permission for hilsa imports. In their letter, the Fish Importers Association stated: "With utmost humility and respect, we wish to inform you (the Foreign Affairs Advisor) that we have been importing hilsa fish from Bangladesh since 1996. Each year, we import approximately 5,000 metric tons of hilsa through the Petrapole Land Customs Station in West Bengal, India." The letter further mentioned that, regrettably, in July 2012, the Bangladesh government unexpectedly imposed a ban on hilsa exports. Since then, we have repeatedly requested the lifting of this ban, but our efforts have been unsuccessful."