The government is working to ensure that the flow of goods to West Asia continues through alternate arrangements, including through air cargo and use of alternate routes and ports, a senior official said Friday.
“We are also working with West Asian countries. Whichever countries we can go through air cargo or any special arrangement, we will do that,” he said.
As Strait of Hormuz is closed, the cargoes to Dubai’s Jebel Ali world’s busiest container ports and a primary transshipment hub have stopped. Other major ports of region like
Ras Tanura (Saudi Arabia) Ras Laffan (Qatar) Hamad Port (Qatar) and Khalifa Port (Abu Dhabi) have also seen stoppage of cargo movement.
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Navigating Port Closures
There are reports that alternate ports like Fujairah and Khorfakkan are being looked at for sending goods to the region.
“India can send the cargo to alternate ports but the authorities there will have to figure out which is the safest option and facilities available in terms of logistics, trucks, capacities and others,” the official added.
While India’s exports to the region which were $ 58.8 billion in 2024-25 would come under pressure, for buyers too imports are necessary. “So whatever we can do, air, cargo, whatever it is, those things will keep going.”
Crisis Management
To deal with the constantly changing situation in West Asia, the government has set up a joint monitoring group that meets every day to take feedback from industry on the issues being faced by them on the ground regarding ports, warehousing, port charges, ships coming back. “The issues flagged by exporters are being resolved.”
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The government had last week made it easier for exporters whose cargoes were stuck at sea, to bring them back to India for either sale in the local market or to other geographies.
Other than operational issues, the government is also looking at providing support to exporters on insurance-related matters. This will be in addition to the measures already announced in the Export Promotion Mission including interest subsidy, support for use of factoring services and support for entering newer markets.
TOPICSexportsThis article was first uploaded on March thirteen, twenty twenty-six, at fifty-one minutes past eight in the night.