India’s oldest major port at Kandla in Gujarat has set highest-ever monthly records in handling rice, timber and salt, during the month of November.

During last month, 3.43 lakh tons of rice was loaded from the port setting a new monthly record. This exceeds the earlier record of 3.06 tons of rice loaded during March 2022, said official sources of the Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) which operates and manages the port. The rice exports from Kandla has seen an upswing after the Union government lifted curbs on rice exports earlier this year.

Apart from rice, Kandla has created a new monthly record, handling 19.22 lakh tons of salt during November 2024. This eclipses the port’s previous record of 16.63 lakh tons created in June 2024. A new peak of 4.54 lakh tons of timber logs were also achieved at the port last month. The previous high was 4.4 lakh tons in December 2023. 

Kandla port has been trying to get back its position of the country’s top major port in cargo volumes --- a position that it ceded to Paradip port last year. In order to improve the day-to-day performance of the port, DPA has also held meetings with shipping lines and other stakeholders to iron out the “procedural bottlenecks” to improve the evacuation of cargo and access to the port. 

“These records are a testament to the port’s robust infrastructure, advanced technology and dedicated workforce, underlining DPA’s role as a key driver of India’s maritime trade and logistics ecosystem. It is a result of its ongoing efforts to modernise operations, upgrade infrastructure and foster strong collaborations with stakeholders,” DPA said in a statement. This year too, Paradip continues to lead Kandla in cargo volumes. In the first six months of the current fiscal, i.e. between April-September 2024, Paradip handled 73.16 million tonnes (MT) of cargo, while Kandla is slightly behind with 71.39 MT.

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