Department of Fisheries of Bangladesh applied for registration for GI recognition of ilish fish on 14 November 2016 and on 6 August 2017 it was recognized globally as Bangladesh’s own product.

A mature ilish can be up to 63 centimeters or more than two feet long and weigh up to three/three and a half kilograms.

The major rivers of Padma and Meghna basins of Bangladesh and adjacent coastal and marine waters are geographical areas of ilish production and it is a important factor on blue economy. Hilsa fish were once found in abundance in almost all major rivers and tributaries of rivers in the country.

Ilish is caught almost all year round in all these areas. The availability of ilish in the Padma River has now increased as a result of implementing various strategies aimed at conserving ilish, including the establishment of ilish sanctuaries in the lower Padma.

Usually in September-October, Hilsa flocks from the sea and enters
75% of the world’s ilish is produced in Bangladesh.

According to the 2017-18 fiscal year, 5 lakh 70 thousand metric tons of hilsa are produced in the country.

This fish is excellent in taste, aroma and contains high levels of nutrients, fats and minerals. Also contains Omega Three Fatty Acids, Amino Acids, Calcium, Phosphorus, Iron, Vitamin-A, D, B.

4,50,000 fishermen in 40 districts of Bangladesh catch ilish fish.

Now, Bangladesh doesn’t want to remain content with such low export volume of the fruit as some of the its sweetest and delicious varieties have long been grown in this country with its annual national output reaching nearly 1.5 million tons this year.

Ministry of Agriculture yesterday held a stakeholders meeting – with some of the representatives of the exporting firms of fresh mango and mango drinks joining it – to discuss how Bangladesh can further increase its mango exports in coming years.

Joining the virtual discussion, Agriculture Ministry Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque said his ministry stands ready to provide the exporters all supports and soon buying three machines, which exporters will be able to use for ‘vapour heat’ treatment (a prerequisite for mango export). Besides, he also promised of looking into the challenges the mango exporters face at the airport cargo village.

The minister and the ministry secretary both said they would soon roll out GAP at all stages of farm production so that mangoes produced, processed and packaged maintaining all sanitary, phytosanitary and quarantine protocols.

Mamunur Rashid, a British-Bangladesh Chamber leader, who is exploring prospect of more mango export from Bangladesh to the United Kingdom, told the meeting that India and Pakistan have placed them strongly in UK market as key mango exporting nations but, “still, in my estimation – we can have potentially a demand for 1,000 tons of mango from Bangladesh in the United Kingdom.”

The ministry officials said each year Japan source over 7,000 tons of mango – some of it from South Asian countries but not from Bangladesh. They said, the Japanese envoy in Dhaka has recently expressed his keen interest in good mango varieties of Bangladesh and had said those can be exported to his country provided quality isn’t compromised.

Ashoke Madhab Roy, a former government secretary who is now involved in mango trade, said they’ve organized mango fair in Manchester and Londo recently and got very encouraging spot orders for the fruit.