Dhaka, Aug 4-The suspension of fish export by neighboring Bangladesh owing to Ramzan for the past two days has dealt a serious blow to the fish market in Tripura, pushing up prices in the retail market to almost double.

According to customs officials, the Bangladesh government has slapped a ban on the export of all kinds of white fish, including hilsa and excluding prawns, until August 20, to keep prices of the protein-rich food within reach in their own country during Ramzan.

Tripura imports an average of 30 MT fish from Bangladesh every day that caters the demand of the domestic market here along with state's own production of about 48 MT of fish per day.

Criticizing the stand of the Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association (BFFEA), the Tripura Fish Merchants' Association (FMA) claimed that such a long ban on the export of an essential food item like fish would hamper import-export between the northeastern states and Bangladesh, reports Times of India.