Decks cleared for tie-up of Kollam, Tuticorin ports

Marking a major milestone in the development of the Kollam Port, imported raw cashew consignments will start arriving here by ship from mid-September. The cashew kernels will also be exported from the Kollam Port.

This was announced by Minister for Ports K. Babu after attending a high-level meeting with officers of the Ports Department, V.O. Chidambanar (Tuticorin) Port authorities, and representatives of the Cashew Export Promotion Council of India and Kollam-based cashew industry here on Monday.

Kollam port will become qualified for handling import and export consignments after being allocated with the Electronic Data Interface Number required for online Customs clearance and establishment of a permanent VAT office at the port complex.

The Minister said that the port would get these two facilities by August end.

Addressing the media, Mr. Babu said Monday’s talks paved the way for a formal tie-up between the Tuticorin and Kollam ports.

Through the tie-up, imported raw cashew consignments arriving at Tuticorin will be transferred to Kollam-bound ships without being unloaded and cleared from the Tuticorin Port complex. The same facility will be available for exports.

At present, the imported raw cashew consignment required for the cashew sector in and around Kollam arrives from various countries at the Tuticorin and Kochi Ports and from there to Kollam by road in container trucks.

The Minister of Ports said that the cashew sector would be eligible for the subsidy announced for transporting goods through coastal shipping.

Director of Ports P.I. Shiek Pareeth said that 36,000 containers carrying raw cashew arrived in Kollam annually. When the new arrangement became operational, the Kollam Port would become very active, he said.

Mr. Babu said that moves were on to draw the Indian Rare Earths and Kerala Minerals and Metals Limited to use the Kollam port for their exports.

He said talks were progressing with Mali authorities too and is expected that ships from Mali would start arriving in Kollam in September.

Mohammed Iqbal, Managing Director, Lakhsadweep Marketing Federation; P.K. Gurudasan, MLA; P. Sundaran, vice chairman, CEPCI; and Ramji Krishnan, CEO; Dhakshin Bharat Gateway Terminal Private Limited. were among those who took part in the talks.