The Hindu Business Line : Vegetable exporters in Kerala to boycott foreign airlines

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Agri-Biz & Commodities - Horticulture/Fruits & Vegetables

Vegetable exporters in Kerala to boycott foreign airlines

Our Bureau

Thiruvananthapuram , April 12

HIT by the high freight rates charged by foreign airlines on the Kerala-West Asia sector, vegetable and fruit exporters in the State have decided to launch a boycott of all foreign airlines that do not reduce air cargo rates from Kerala to West Asia.

Mr Dil Koshy, Secretary, Agricultural Products and Processed Food Products Exporters' Association (APPEXA), told Business Line that Kerala's agricultural products exporters have decided to boycott foreign airlines that operate from the State from midnight on April 13, unless they cut air cargo rates on the Kerala-West Asia sector.

"All airlines that respond positively to our request for a reduction in freight rates to the Gulf will be exempted from the boycott," he declared. Gulf Air, for instance, will not be affected by the boycott as it has responded `positively' to the exporters' request for a revision of freight rates from Kerala, he added.

It may be recalled that in March, Air India announced its intention to revise the rates charged on air cargo shipped from Thiruvananthapuram to West Asia with effect from April 1. Most fruit and vegetable exporters based in the city welcomed this decision as it meant a drop in the freight rates charged by the airline on consignments from Thiruvananthapuram to West Asia.

Once Air India announced its decision to revise freight rates from Thiruvananthapuram, APPEXA requested other international airlines operating from the State to do the same, said Mr Koshy.

However, except for Gulf Air and Sri Lankan Airlines, none of the other foreign airlines operating from the State responded `positively' to this request, he added.

This absence of a positive response has forced the association to call for a boycott of foreign airlines, he explained.

"If any of the foreign airlines operating from here reduces freight rates, we will exempt them from the boycott," he said. Meanwhile, demand from non-resident Keralites for fruits such as green mangoes and certain traditional flowers has gone up over the past few days on account of the approach of the Vishu festival, said Mr Koshy. Because of this, the export of fruits and vegetables from Thiruvananthapuram to West Asian destinations has shown a 20 per cent growth over the two or three days, he added.

Approximately 65 tonnes of fruits and vegetables are exported from the Thiruvananthapuram airport every day.

In fact, the city accounts for over 75 per cent of the agricultural products exported from the State.