New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) hopes to handle between 36.29 and 39.21 million tonnes of cargo during 2020-21.

Asked about the impact of Covid-19 on the cargo handling target, AV Ramana, Chairman of NMPT, told BusinessLine that the main role of the port is that of a facilitator of trade, and the impact of the pandemic on cargo traffic really depends on its impact on various cargo markets.

Referring to the initial assessments, he said the impact has been varied from market to market. Many markets will experience idiosyncratic factors either impacting the demand or supply of the commodity.

He said the petrochemical exports have risen by 37 per cent in the first quarter of 2020-21 and the imports of fertilizers and edible oil have seen an increase of 7.65 per cent and 7 per cent, respectively.

Import cargoes such as crude oil of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd and coal have taken a hit during the period. “Since the Unlock-1 we have seen improvements in the market demand and with the rising demand, these cargo segments are projected to reduce the gap,” he said.

During the initial days of the lockdown, the cargo traffic had slid by 30 per cent in the container segment. The slide in this segment is around 10 per cent now.

Considering these variations and based on the survey of the captive customers and main port users, the port has estimated traffic handling. The port handled a total of 39.14 million tonnes of cargo in 2019-20, he said.

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