Kerala Exporters Forum has sought the State Government’s intervention to ensure uninterrupted cargo movement at local airports. Their request follows a notice from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) asking airport cargo operators to migrate to RA (regulated agent) concept before April 30.
In RA mode, all operations of the air cargo terminal should be carried out by a single entity. The notification is likely to hit export operations at the three airports of Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode, leading to diversion of cargo to neighbouring states, forum members said.
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Munshid Ali, Secretary, Kerala Exporters Forum, pointed out that the stoppage of export operations at these airports would impact the thousands of people who are directly or indirectly involved in the business. “We request the intervention of the State Government to take up the issue with Civil Aviation Ministry to get necessary extension for the RA implementation by BCAS,” Ali said.
Export of perishable goods from Kerala recorded considerable growth this year, in a post-Covid resurgence. In the first three months of the calendar year, Ali said, 13,950 tonnes of perishable goods were exported. Exporters depend on air cargo for shipping vegetables and fruits, which are perishable.
It is learnt that the RA implementation might take a couple of months owing to the shortage of screeners in the market. Recruitment of fresh technical staff is not feasible as they would require a minimum of two months’ training, he said.
Earlier, at a seminar organised by KSIDC and the States Industries Department, forum president KM Hameed Ali highlighted the issues faced by exporters of perishable commodity in the absence of adequate cold chain storage facility and NABL-accredited lab testing. Members also pointed out to State Industries Minister P Rajeeve that the higher tariff collected by the International Container Transshipment Terminal made exports through the seaport unviable.
The Minister promised to exert pressure on the Civil Aviation Ministry to introduce freight cargo service in Kerala as part of the Centre’s Open Sky Policy. The government has formed a State Export Promotion Council on the the request of the exporters’ fraternity.