The first lot of hilsa from Bangladesh arrived in Bengal on Thursday as a festive gesture of the neighbouring country.

Seventeen metric tonnes of the prized fish was delivered in six cargo shipments at the Petrapole land port in North 24 Parganas.

The consignment arrived after the interim government in Bangladesh lifted the ban it had imposed on exporting hilsa to India to boost domestic supply.

The move had marked a shift from the previous policies under former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who had allowed limited exports during Durga Puja since 2020, despite a broader export ban imposed in 2012.

On Wednesday, Bangladesh's commerce ministry granted permits to 49 traders to export 2,420 tonne of hilsa. Each trader has been authorised to export 50 tonne of the fish by October 12.

“This is great news. Hilsa from Bangladesh has finally arrived. We are thankful to the Bangladesh government for responding to our appeal,” said Syed Anwar Maqsood, the secretary of the Fish Importers’ Association in Calcutta.