Bangladesh exported 23 tonnes of Hilsa fish to India through Benapole land port Wednesday with less than a month left for the Durga Puja – the biggest festival in West Bengal.

Five trucks carrying 23 tonnes of Hilsa reached the port at 4:00 pm, Md Ishtadul Haque, quality control officer of Benapole Fisheries Office, said adding that "the Hilsa export to India started today."

Earlier, the government gave the go-ahead to 52 companies to export 2,080 tonnes of Hilsa to India by October 10.

The demand for the fish during Durga Puja is very high in states like West Bengal as the Bangladeshi Hilsa, found in the River Padma, is considered to be tastier than the ones found in the Ganges.