In a bid to ease the supply pressure for pulses amid spiralling prices of the commodity, the India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA) and Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) on Monday entered into an agreement to handle pulses at the latter's port facilities in Gujarat.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) in this regard is believed to help facilitate the development of a dedicated, cost-effective and efficient supply chain using Adani Ports located at strategic locations along the coast of Gujarat.
Pravin Dongre, Chairman, IGPA, said, “India’s pulses imports have been increasing every year and the infrastructure at the existing ports are finding it difficult to meet the requirements of the trade. The APSEZ Ports at locations like Mundra and Hazira will certainly help in reducing the load on the existing ports as well as allow quick and efficient evacuation of cargo in a cost-effective manner.” India imports nearly five million tonnes of pulses annually for domestic consumption, mainly from Canada, Australia and regions around the Black Sea.
“We now have the largest dedicated covered warehouse space inside ports for agri goods. We also have tied up with partner agencies to provide collateral management and trade finance services at the port itself. Our ports are also ideally connected to the key markets of North, West & Central India,” said Captain Unmesh Abhyankar, CEO, Mundra Port.