Major ports under the Central Government saw a growth of almost 6 per cent in cargo handled in December 2013 over the corresponding period last fiscal, according to data from Indian Ports Association.

This is the highest growth booked by major ports in a month in the current fiscal till date.

Commodities The commodities that saw the sharpest growth were: coal, fertiliser and iron ore. All key commodity groups, including coal, iron ore, fertiliser and containers witnessed growth, barring petroleum products.

“The growth in cargo handled is above the average growth of 1.91 per cent registered for the nine months of April-December. For the last two-three months, major ports have together seen growth each month, though in the range of 2-3 per cent,” an official source said.

Among the ports, Ennore registered 82 per cent growth by handling 2.6 million cargo in December against last fiscal; this was followed by Mormugao which saw a 63 per cent increase in loading during the month, though on a low base compared to last December as iron ore handling had slipped. Paradip saw 21 per cent growth by handling 6.4 million tonnes of cargo, the second largest cargo volume among major ports.

Largest volume Kandla port handled 6.56 million tonnes of cargo, the largest volume, despite a 15 per cent drop in cargo handled over the same period last fiscal.

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