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The Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission has urged the government to set maximum retail prices for hilsa, citing an “abnormal” rise in the country’s most popular fish.

In a report released Sunday, the commission said retail prices climbed as high as Tk 2,200 per kilogram in September, compared with export prices averaging Tk 1,534 per kg. Local prices during the month ranged between Tk 900 and Tk 2,200 per kg.

The report identified 11 factors driving the surge, including supply-demand imbalance, syndicates and hoarding, higher fuel and transport costs, rising fishing expenses, navigability problems, use of illegal nets, advance payments under the dadni system, lack of alternative livelihoods, fishing during bans, middlemen’s control, and export pressure.

According to the commission, Bangladesh produces around 0.55 million tonnes of hilsa annually. Yet domestic consumers are paying disproportionately high prices compared to the cost of catching and exporting the fish.

The commission recommended introducing government-set price caps, adjusted by size, to stabilise the market and protect consumers.