Efforts on to increase exports through Coimbatore ICDs

Coimbatore is among the major exporting hubs in the country supplying textiles, machinery, components, jewellery, food products and vegetables to overseas markets. However, the logistics infrastructure here needs to gear up to meet the increasing export volume.

Though the volume of export cargo generating out of Coimbatore is huge, the goods are sent to the port cities directly.

Coimbatore has three Inland Container Depots (ICD) and the ICD at Irugur recently introduced weekly rail service to Chennai.

This is now used mainly by the coir exporters in the district. Export of tea is through Kochi and it is largely transported by road.

According to sources at the Coimbatore Custom House and Steamer Agents' Association, cargo from Coimbatore goes to Chennai, Tuticorin and Kochi ports. Nealry 700 TEUs (Twenty Equivalent Units) are sent to Kochi every month by road. The association is working with the Container Corporation of India to increase the volume of exports through the Irugur ICD.

The volume transported through the weekly rail service to Chennai ranged from nine to 27 containers a week. Volume of trade from other sectors needs to improve to make it sustainable. Awareness about the facilities available here should improve among the trade and industry, the sources point out.

The association members are trying to increase the volume from all sectors so that minimum 20 to 25 containers are moved through rail every week from here, the sources said.

There were also some practical difficulties in increasing the cargo movement through the ICDs here. For instance, exports from Coimbatore go to different ports in other countries. Containers from only two carriers take cargo out of Coimbatore because of the high transport costs.

However, all shippers do not go to all ports. Each shipper has lines only to select destinations in a country, the sources added.

Source:-thehindu.com