Hilsa Diplomacy of Bangladesh with India: Is it sustainable or blinking?
Sanjoy Roy.
September 30, 2024, 11:17:08
Hilsa fish carries a distinctive place not just in the waters of the Bay of Bengal but in the hearts of millions of people, both in Bangladesh and in some Indian states. The fish is celebrated for its versatility, often cooked in a variety of ways such as steamed with mustard paste (sometimes paste of coconut kernel is used) which enhances its delicate flavour or fried with a light coating of spices for a crispy texture. The Hilsa, often referred to as the "king of fish," is undoubtedly an uncompromising choice to Bengali cuisine on both sides of the India-Bangladesh border. Hilsa fish that was once a staple food for the middle and lower class people of Bangladesh, West Bengal and Tripura, has now become an exorbitant luxury fish due to high price induced by the combination of multiple factors like ecological factors and demand fluctuations etc. Now it exerts a pivotal role in diplomacy, trade negotiations and dinner table discussions as well. The present article delineates the above matter from the perspectives of India based on information collected from the national dailies and some newspapers of Bangladesh.
Among the various Hilsa varieties, the fish from Padma River particularly those grown in Chandpur area of Bangladesh are renowned for its rich fat content, thick and moist texture and familiar for its exceptional flavour, shaped by the unique water conditions of the river. Although, in India, Hilsa is available in the Ganga, Hooghly, and Mahanadi, Godavari and Narmada rivers, demand of the Padma variety Hilsas is skyscraping and most prized during celebrations. Hilsa fish had been used as vehicle of diplomacy called ‘Hilsa diplomacy’. Hilsa Diplomacy is associated with Shiekh Hasina, former Prime Minister of Bangladesh and she pioneered the Hilsa as a symbol of diplomacy in India-Bangladesh ties, using the silver fish variety on several occasions as exports and gifts to advance diplomatic goals. This practice has been carried out by Sheikh Hasina , former PM of Bangladesh in 1996 when she had sent Hilsa as a gift to the then-West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu, just before the Ganges Water Sharing treaty, a landmark agreement on sharing the waters from the Farakka barrage and signed between India and Bangladesh. She also gifted a large consignment of prized silver fishes to Smt. Mamata Banerjee after her victory as a mark of congratulatory message. A consignment of 30 kg of Hilsa fish had been gifted to Pranab Mukherjee, the then-President of India, to resolve a water dispute. This led many to believe that the Bangladeshi government has embraced the Hilsa as a vehicle of diplomacy to promote friendly ties between New Delhi and Dhaka and resolve the long-pending issues including Teesta water sharing stalemate. Former Bangladesh PM also sent Hilsa fish to Tripura Chief Minister as a gesture of goodwill and food diplomacy in June 2024 in order to strengthen the long-standing positive relationship between India and Bangladesh and as a special gratitude to the people of Tripura for accommodating more than lakhs of Bangladeshi people taken shelter in Tripura as refugees during 1971 war. In recent years, Bangladesh has widened the network of ‘Hilsa diplomacy’ by permitting exports of this delicacy during the festival and strengthening ties with its neighboring countries. Thus the concept of "hilsa diplomacy" gained prominence signifying the symbolic importance of the fish in bilateral relations.
Indeed, Dhaka had instituted an export ban on Hilsa in 2012 due to shortage of production in Bangladesh and lack of progress on the Teesta water-sharing issue. However the ban was lifted by Hasina government in 2019 allowing special export permissions to India since 2019 as a goodwill gesture. Since then, Hilsa is being imported to India regularly. In past years, the previous Bangladesh governments permitted the export of 3,000-5,000 tonnes of hilsa annually during Durga Puja as festival gift on the backdrop of the lofty demand of Hilsa fish among the Bengalees living in West Bengal, Tripura and different parts of India. But the present Bangladesh interim Government having assumed the charge, had imposed an embargo on the supply of Hilsa fish to India on the grounds that Bangladeshi people themselves were not able to purchase and eat Hilsa fish due to scarcity and non availability of Hilsa Fish in various local markets of Bangladesh and exorbitant prices of Hilsa fishes depending on places of origin , size and quality and thus quashed the long pursued Hilsa diplomacy of Hasina Government as redundant , insipid and fiasco. It is no surprising and stunning that long standing Hilsa diplomacy as adopted by Hasina government may take a backseat or find a bleak future after her ouster given the turbulent nature of movement orchestrated against Hasina and her government and accordingly, the long-standing tradition of sending Padma Hilsa to India ahead of Durga Puja, had found no relevance and banned by the interim government establishing no different policy of existing interim government of Bangladesh than expected. According to Ms Farida Akhter , an advisor to Bangladesh Government, who replied (on being asked whether new interim government would make a goodwill gesture to India by allowing supply of hilsa fish) that Bangladesh government would have goodwill gestures in all other ways with India. India is their friend. But Bangladesh should not do anything by depriving its own people. This led the political experts to assume that there is a policy and paradigm shift in present Bangladesh government towards Indo-Bangladesh relations. But Bangladeshi media reports indicate that hilsa prices have surged in the local market despite the export ban. A 1.5 kg Hilsa was selling for around 1,800 taka, 1.2kg for 1,600 taka and one kg for 1,500 taka, which was 150-200 taka higher than last year, says traders. Fishermen attribute that the price increase is due to poor catches. In the past three months, Bangladeshi fishermen tried to go to sea five times but had to come back in vain, due to rough weather. The high value of Hilsa is due to several factors of which seasonal variability is a key aspect. This seasonal nature, combined with its association with cultural celebrations such as Durga Puja, makes Hilsa highly demanding during these periods.
But suddenly, present government in Bangladesh has decided to send 3000 tons of Hilsa fish to India ahead of ensuing Durga Puja. The Bangladesh government has issued orders to export 2,420 tonnes of Hilsa to India ahead of the festive season, according to a report by The Economic Times. However, the actual quantity to reach India could be around 1500 tons as previous records indicate that approval of large quantities did not translate to higher exports in earlier years and the trade has to be completed within October 12, 2024 as 22 day hilsa fishing ban kicks in to allow the fishes lay eggs. This decision is expected to bring down the price of Hilsa significantly in India with traders predicting a decrease from over Rs 2,000 per kilogram to around Rs 1,700 per kg (in Agartala). Every year, India’s Durga Puja festivities see a surge in demand for the fish from Bangladesh. However the present move follows the requests of Bangladeshi exporters (more than 50 exporters in Bangladesh applied for exporting hilsa to India) and as a mark of long standing goodwill gesture, although the present relationship between India and Bangladesh is not that much cozy as it was during the Sheikh Hasina led Awami league government. The recent decision by the Bangladeshi government to resume hilsa exports to India ahead of Durga Puja is viewed by Bangladeshi Media as reignited conversation that surpasses mere trade—it speaks to the potential of food diplomacy to embolden and solidify the ties between neighbouring nations. However, it is most interesting to note that this news could not ignite much joy, enthusiasm and ecstasy among the Hilsa fish loving Common Indian people because of acerbic altercations in social media between the Indian and Bangladesh citizens. In social media, the people of both countries are found at loggerheads and they are in no mood to accept one another's argument or reactions, which had come into being since the conclusion of fifty world cup cricket tournament held in India as well as scathing attacks of some Bangladeshi supporters and their stinging comments on the Indian people about Hilsa fishes. Indian people mostly the Bengalees who eat fish and prefer to eat Hilsa fish, generally like the Hilsas produced and supplied to Indian Market from Bangladesh particularly the Hilsa of Padma river, or from Chandpur or Chittagong areas because of their unique smell, delicious taste and very good size and their colours-- different from Indian Hilsa fishes grown and available in the Ganga basin and other rivers in West Bengal, Narmada river, Godavari etc.. Bangladesh, which produces around 70 per cent of the world's Hilsa, considers Hilsa as a matter of national pride. Hilsa, or 'ilish,' is the national fish of Bangladesh, and its exports play a role in regional trade dynamics. The Padma Hilsa is in high demand not only in West Bengal but also in major Indian markets such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Jharkhand, and Bihar, where it is cherished during festivals like Poila Boishakh (Bengali New Year) and Jamai Shoshti. In true sense, it is the trade compulsions that compelled Bangladesh government to revisit about the export ban of Hilsa fishes to India.
Although the people of Bangladesh became overjoyed to know the ban imposed by Bangladesh Government assuming the fact that Hilsa would be available in plenty in the local Bangladeshi markets at a reduced rate compared to the high prices prevailed in earlier years, it did not happen. The interest of the country along with the possibility of earning substantial revenue from the export of Hilsa fishes to India may matter ahead of the sentiments and wishes of its citizens. Given the balance of trade between India and Bangladesh highly tilted in favour of India and against Bangladesh, the necessity of restoration of bilateral relations with India to normalcy and other factors might have the reasons to bring back or revisit the Hilsa Diplomacy. Meanwhile, a section of over-excited and India jealous Bangladeshi citizens started trolling in social media that Indians would not be given Hilsa anymore and they would be rendered Hilsa-thirsty until Bangladeshis could meet their consumption of Hilsa fish to the fullest. Some agitated and excited Bangladeshi citizens were so contentious that they claimed that one Hilsa may be exchanged against one cow from India besides many other inciting comments. This view of Bangladeshi people has aroused tremendous resentment among Hilsa loving Indian people and it compelled a sizable number of such people to resolve about the dumping or delisting of Bangladeshi Hilsa from their lunch plate(s) and preferred menu items. This can be gauged while talking with people in the important markets of Agartala where least craziness is found among Agartala public for the purchase of Bangladeshi Hilsa. In social media a strong campaign is launched against the consumption of present lot of Bangladeshi Hilsas being exported to India as well as a protest against incessant attacks on Hindus and other minorities including their religious institutions. As a result, the local fish sellers are also averse; rather they have started bringing Indian Hilsa fishes produced in the Ganga River or fishes available from Diamond Harbour, Digha or Kolaghat etc.
Thus the threats of Bangladesh people including the policy of their interim government are found to make no appreciable impacts on Hilsa loving Indian people. Rather it is the pressure from the Bangladesh side and their own compulsions that would cause the interim government to lift the ban or not and decide judiciously keeping in view the larger interests of Bangladesh as it shares more than 4096 km border with India vis a vis the longstanding bilateral ties and all –encompassing strategic partnership with India. According to some experts, although this decision may benefit India's Bengalee population, who regard hilsa as an integral part of their culinary heritage, it has raised concerns within Bangladesh. Every year, ahead of Durga Puja, the price of hilsa in the local markets of Bangladesh spikes, placing an even heavier burden on the middle and lower classes. For many, the export of this prized fish has become a symbol and it shows how diplomacy can sometimes serve the interests of a few at the expense of the many.
Despite these concerns, there are strategic advantages to using Hilsa as a diplomatic tool. The priceless love of Hilsa fish between the Bengalee populations on either side of the border offers a unique cultural conduit. Hilsa diplomacy reflects a deeper cultural connection, symbolizing how food can unite people across borders. However, this approach must be carefully managed without any religious fervor to ensure that the socio-economic-cultural and ecological balances between India and Bangladesh are maintained and both countries need to engage in comprehensive dialogues on bilateral issues from their respective and regional viewpoints and long-term perspectives without harming inherent values, culture, belief and doctrines of respective countries. Thus the ball lies on the Bangladesh Government to dwell on its Hilsa Diplomacy, whether to continue or discontinue or reorganize it.
(Tripurainfo)