Hasina advises people not to eat Hilsa on Pahela Baishakh

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday urged the countrymen not to eat hilsha in Pahela Bashakh, the first day of Bangla Nababarsho, to help boost production of the country’s national fish.

“I would like to call upon all not to catch and eat hilsha in Pahela Baishakh ... instead, you take ‘khichuri’ (yellow rice), vegetables, fried egg and burnt dry chilli,” she said.

The premier made the request while addressing a press conference at her official Ganabhaban residence here this afternoon.

The press conference was convened to brief the media about the outcome of her just-concluded official visit to India. This is the season for mother hilsha to release eggs, and the government has imposed a ban on catching hilsha for 30 days.

The prime minister didn’t include hilsha in her Pahela Baishakh menu at Ganabhaban last year.

Over the few years, on an average the production of hilsha increased to 10,000-12,000 tonnes thanks to taking various measures against the catching of jatka and mother fishes, officials said.

The production of hilsha in 2015-16 fiscal year increased to nearly four lakh tonnes, they said.