The Hindu Business Line : Tryst with Trieste yielding fruit

Exports from India to Italy, largely agri products and machinery, have grown by over 32 per cent between 2004 and 2006. Much of the trade is through the Port of Trieste, which is a well-connected gateway to many regions in Europe.

C. J. Punnathara

While the Port of Trieste is becoming the major hub for Indian exports to the regions of Friuli Venezia Giulia in north-eastern Italy, it is also transforming into a gateway for the whole of south-eastern Europe.

The bulk of Indian exports to this port consists of agricultural products: with coffee accounting for the major share.

“We are in the process of cementing trade relationships with India,” Ms Francesca Trampus, Director for Administration, Port of Trieste, said.

And the efforts have already begun to yield results. Exports from India have grown by over 32 per cent in two years — between 2004 and 2006.

The Port of Trieste had left its imprint on the economic development of not only the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, but also over a large segment of the South European continent ever since it was established in 1719.

And today, trade, services, logistics and transport are the most important segments of the local economy. Over 84 per cent of the value addition for Trieste, which has a very small area of 214 sq.km, comes from the complex and variegated tertiary sector — with the Port acting as its hub.

Machines for special use

Machines for special use constitute the largest component in the export basket from the Port to India, at 53 per cent.

This includes machines for metallurgy, mines, quarrying, for manufacturing food and beverages, textile industry, knitwear, leather, as well as industry robots with multiple uses.

Also in the list are machines and devices for the production of mechanical energy, vehicles and motor cycles.

In imports from India, agriculture, horticulture and floriculture products constitute the largest component at 28 per cent.

Coffee is a significant import component from India and the country is ranked the third largest coffee exporter to Italy after Brazil and Vietnam.

Vehicles and motors, glass and glass products, stones and textile fibres are some of the other major import items from India to the Port.

The Port of Trieste is well equipped to handle the huge inflow of agricultural products.

It has 10,400 sq.m of warehouse space of which 3,000 sq.m is exclusively set apart for fresh fruits and vegetables. There are 184 reefer points for stacking items that need continuous refrigeration facilities.

In order to cater to the booming consumption from the import basket, especially agricultural and horticultural products, regular operations of feeder services have been initiated with other ports in the neighbourhood.

Regular feeder services of 2,000-3,000 TEU operate between Trieste and Venice.

Well-connected

The Port was re-engineered and now provides a draft of 18 m without any dredging — it is one of the deepest ports in the region.

It is well connected through planned multi-modal linkages with both road and rail network and today acts as an entry gateway for the regions of Austria, Hungary, Southern Germany, Czechoslovakia and the Northern parts of Italy.

It is also instrumental in saving considerable sailing time vis-À-vis the Northern part of Europe.

Shipments to central Europe would be saving between 10-12 days of sailing time if the ships and containers dock at the Port of Trieste, instead of taking the circuitous route to North European ports, according to officials. There has been a 75 per cent growth in the volume of TEU handled by the Port since 2004.

In order to further increase trade with India, Port officials said they were looking forward to signing an MoU with the Government. “India and China are the two global giants who are boosting global demand for import/export trade,” they said.

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