Exporters said on Wednesday that several consignments of agricultural products destined for West Asia returned midway to Indian ports such as Mundra, Gandhidham and Mumbai’s JNPT. They said that only a few cargo consignments headed to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were terminated at Khorfakkan, Dubai, and the port of Salalah, Oman instead of Dubai’s Jebel Ali, the region’s busiest port.
The consigments being returned to India carries onions, bananas, grapes and cereals among other items.
Maritime Gridlock
“Further movements of cargo from these ports for shipments to other countries have been slow while exporters have been incurring losses because of uncertainty surrounding cargo movement,” Narendra Bhatia, partner at Asar Brothers, a Mumbai-based exporter of fruits, said.
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Ajit Shah, a leading onion exporter said that several consignments en route to Jebel Ali port, Dubai early this month were rerouted to ports like Khorfakkan and Fujairah where consignment is yet to be unloaded due to a lack of infrastructure.
Dubai Customs earlier this month introduced a temporary facilitation for cargo destined for Jebel Ali Port through the ports of Khorfakkan and Fujairah, from where containers may be transported by road. A major chunk of the country’s horticulture exports to Gulf countries passes through Dubai, which also serves as the region’s key trans-shipment hub.
“In ports like Mundra and Gandhidham in Gujarat, container congestion has intensified due to returning vessels and a shortage of warehouse space to unload them. Due to limited vessel availability, thousands of containers filled with rice and other grains remain stranded at ports,” Ranjit Singh Jossan, managing director, Jossan grains, a leading exporter of basmati rice in Punjab, said.
He said that close to 0.2 million tonne (MT) of basmati rice destined for Iran alone are currently stuck. The Middle East accounts for nearly 60–70% of India’s total basmati exports, and instability in the region is directly affecting shipments, payments, and trade coordination.
Several shipping routes have either been suspended or diverted, resulting in delays in cargo handling at Iranian ports, uncertainty in payment mechanisms, and communication breakdowns with buyers.
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Economic Fallout
Sources said the agricultural and processed food products exports authority (APEDA) is currently gathering data about the goods stuck at the ports for devising a better strategy to deal with cargo stuck across ports. Several exporters of agricultural products stated that shipping lines are imposing excessive and coercive charges to release returning containers. Indian exporters are being asked to pay $500 to $2,000 per 20-fit container for container release while in normal circumstances a 21-day free detention period is allowed at the destination port.
West Asia accounted for 21.8% of India’s total agricultural and food exports in 2025 valued at over $ 50 billion, making it one of the country’s most important markets for shipment of rice, bananas, spices, meat and dairy.
TOPICSTradeThis article was first uploaded on March twelve, twenty twenty-six, at twelve minutes past twelve in the am.