After a decade, Kochi port gets first wheat shipment

After about a decade, the Kochi Port has started receiving wheat shipments in this season with the first vessel from Australia reaching on Monday.

The ship MV PAN EDEL WEISS carrying around 32,000 tonnes of Australian wheat in bulk anchored at Ernakulam wharf in the morning. The consignment was imported by a private firm P.K.Roller Flour Mills, Kozhikode.

When contacted a senior company official told Business Line that the unseasonal and unexpected rains in several parts of North India have damaged a good percentage of wheat crop and there was a scarcity of getting good quality wheat.

This has prompted them to look for import options and decided to source Australian prime wheat considered to be superior quality. Normally the company is procuring wheat from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh to meet its production requirements.

To a question, the official said that the import price of wheat is to the tune of ₹19,000 per tonne. This is the first consignment and the second shipment will depend on the feasibility of the initial delivery.

However, the port officials said that it will be expected in a fortnight’s time. The port has made extensive arrangements to store the wheat loads on account of the Monsoon season. The cargo will be bagged in godowns and be moved to Kozhikode both road and rail, the officials said.

Later in a meeting convened at the Kerala Headload Worker Welfare Board, trade union leaders operating in the port area have called for concerted efforts from workers for the early evacuation of the wheat consignment in order to set high standards and also to ensure repeat imports.

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