Exporters a harried lot amid farm protest

Vijay C Roy

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 6

The exporters of the region are a harried lot as train services in Punjab and Haryana have been disrupted amid farmers’agitation over the new farm laws. Over 2,500 containers carrying basmati, yarn, hand tools, sports goods, leather goods and textiles, meant for exports are stuck at various Inland Container Depots and Container Freight Stations in Ludhiana.

According to the exporters, the trains to Mundra and Pipavav Port in Gujarat have been halted since September 30. Over 3,000 import containers are also stuck in transit.

“As exporters, our working capital is blocked because we get payment from our customers after we send them bill of lading copy, which is possible only once the container is loaded in a vessel. Our customers have Christmas sales starting in November and if the cargo is delayed, they will lose business and may shift to China or Taiwan in near future,” said Amit Goswami, director, Euro Forge (Punjab).

“Nearly 360 containers are lying for exports at our logistics park and 270 import containers are stuck in transit,” said Rajiv Sharma, Terminal Head, Gateway Rail Freight Ltd.