The Department of Fisheries has cancelled 103 No Objection Certificates (NOCs) issued for the import of hilsa, effectively halting hilsa imports from India into Bangladesh.

The decision to cancel the NOCs was made on 22 September through a letter signed by Dr Md Khaled Konok, acting Director General of the Department of Fisheries. Following the decision, the process of importing hilsa from India has been suspended.

Ziaur Rahman Zia, general secretary of the Importers and Exporters Association, confirmed the development.

He said they had received a letter from the Department of Fisheries stating that a number of NOCs had been cancelled.

“The decision has halted hilsa imports, leaving importers in a difficult situation,” he said.

Hilsa importer Syed Mahidul Haque Rubai said they had suffered significant losses due to the sudden suspension of imports.

He said hilsa purchased in India for import into Bangladesh had already been kept there. The fish would now have to be returned at lower prices, while the importers would also have to bear the losses incurred from the import process.