KOLKATA: The first consignment of around 45 metric tonnes of Hilsa fish reached West Bengal from Bangladesh on Thursday ahead of the festive Durga Puja season, an official said. Nine trucks carrying the silver crop of water entered the state through the Petrapole border in North 24 Parganas district. Dhaka’s Chief Controller of Imports and Exports issued licences to 79 exporters who would be able to supply 50 metric tonnes of Hilsa each. “Altogether 40-45 metric tonnes of Hilsa reached from Bangladesh today. The fish will be sent to various markets across the state such as Kolkata, Siliguri and Murshidabad,” Customs clearing agent Firoj Mandal said. The Hilsa will hit the markets within a week, he said. “This is the first consignment. Altogether 3,950 metric tonnes of Hilsa will be exported by Bangladesh,” Mandal said. While most of the prized Hilsa from Bangladesh will be taken up by markets in West Bengal, traders said significant quantities were also sold in Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai for fish lovers there. Officials said all exports will have to be completed by the deadline of October 30 as fishing for Hilsa is paused for sometime from October 12, to allow the fish to breed.