Back-to-back lockdowns, social distancing norms and prohibitive diesel price have caused the crisis. In the deep sea, fishermen have to practically chase schools of hilsa to catch them. But spiralling diesel prices prevented them from doing so this season, said Bijon Maity, secretary of West Bengal Fishermen’s Association.
Transportation issues have also affected supply. “If the catch is good, there is a point in transporting them to the city markets. If the catch is small, it is better to sell them off in the local markets. The cost of transportation is too high and the catch has been small this time,” said Gaouranga Basak, a trader at Diamond Harbour Fisheries Port.
Even in the midst of monsoon, hilsa is nowhere to be seen in the city markets. The smaller variety or khoka ilish — catching of which is banned — is selling at a premium.
“They are less than 400g in weight, yet are selling at Rs 1,000/kg,” said Ambika Bandyopadhyay, who loves to have the fish on his platter.
The price of mustard oil is also at an all-time high. “Bengal is not a mustard producing state. It is generally brought from Haryana and Rajasthan. The lockdown and consecutive spikes in diesel price has made it costlier. The oil mills in Bengal are not getting rough raw materials and the prices are unlikely to dip before the next harvesting,” said Biswanath Agarwal, general secretary of Posta Merchants’ Association.
The price of green chilli has shot past Rs 250 and is moving towards the Rs 300/kg mark. This is an all-time high. The Beldanga variety, which is sought after because of its pungency, has become especially expensive. “The Beldanga variety is set to touch the Rs 300/kg mark in retail markets,” said Kamal Dey, president, West Bengal Vendors’ Association.
Price of ginger, which was Rs 70-Rs 80/kg even a fortnight ago, is now set to cross Rs 200. It was being sold at Rs 180 per kg across the city markets on Tuesday. “A delectable hilsa dish is very expensive, though its demand in hotels and restaurants is very low. This shows how deep the scarcity is,” said Manjula Goswami, a culinary expert.
