By Admin 
The joint attack on Iran by America and Israel has affected the import-export business of the entire world. The impact of the ongoing war in the Middle East region is now clearly visible on Mumbai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT). Due to increasing tensions between Arab countries, Israel, Iran and America, the movement of ships on sea routes has been affected, due to which a large number of export containers are stranded at the port. At present, more than 1,000 export containers are stuck at JNPT. These include consignments of grapes, onion, papaya, pomegranate, watermelon and other agricultural products. Of the stranded containers, 150 were of onions sent from Nashik. On an average, 29 to 30 tonnes of onion is loaded in each container, due to which a total of about 5,400 tonnes of onion is stuck at the port.
This consignment was mainly sent to Gulf countries and mostly via Dubai. However, due to the current war-like situation, there is news of temporary closure of Dubai market. Not only this, the 370 Indian containers which had already reached Dubai are also said to be stuck there. The same route is also used for exports to some European countries, due to which the supply chain there has also been affected.
What is the cost of containers standing at the port?
The biggest concern is about exporters of perishable goods. If not used on time, food items will start spoiling. The refrigerator containers standing at the port are costing around Rs 8,000 every day. If the situation drags on, additional expenses of Rs 5,000 to 6,000 per container may have to be incurred on unloading the goods. People associated with the business say that if the situation is not cleared in the next two-three days, there may be a situation of asking for the goods back. This export stagnation has started affecting the domestic market as well. Prices of onion and other products may fall further due to increase in local supply. Farmers are calling it a double blow.
APDA demanded from the government
Horticulture Produce Exporters Association (APDA) has demanded that the government should bear the additional expenses of the containers standing at the port. Along with this, a demand has also been made from the Central Government to find alternative business routes and announce a special relief package for the affected farmers and exporters.