Exim forum to the aid of port.

In a move which could give a breather to Cochin Port Trust that is going through a crisis, the Kerala Chamber of Commerce and Industry has floated Kerala Chamber Exim Forum to sort out the problems faced by the Port management and improve the movement of cargo through the port.

“Our main purpose is to bring back the Exim community to Cochin Port Trust by making it trader-friendly and through ethical business practices. Now, most traders depend on Tuticorin, Mangalore or Chennai port where cargo above capacity are handled while the CPT struggles for existence for want of enough cargo,” said P K Abhay Kumar, a member of the executive committee of the Exim Forum and a member of the KCCI.

He clarified that the forum is a platform with representatives from departments and organisations numbering 27 to bring back the Foreign trade through CPT.

The Exim (Export and Import) trade through Cochin Port faces a lot of problems causing a huge economic loss. The reasons are many including delay in clearing shipments, high port charges, unexpected strikes, labour unrest, changes made in ambiguity in applicable sales tax rates for imported products and penal charges imposed by shipping companies.

For those associated with the port-related business, Cochin Port Trust is not just a port for export and import but cuts an emotional chord too.

“When we were discussing the crisis of the port in April, we came to a point where we realised the need for a platform to sort out the problems. One of the main faults with the functioning was the delay in getting the cargo out of the port. When it took 10 days at CPT, it would not take more than five days at other ports. We felt sure that almost all of the hurdles faced by the Exim sector can be sorted out if we have a platform to discuss and sort out such issues amicably between various stakeholders,” said Abhay Kumar.

Meanwhile, the Cochin Port authorities welcomed the formation of the Kerala Chamber Exim forum. “We provided our facility for the  meeting on September 3, as we took it in a good spirit. We expect the forum to help solve the issues related to the Port. It can offer suggestions and point out grievances,” said Unnikrishnan Nair, Traffic Manager, Cochin Port Trust. “It will help us when we bring in the changes. They can advise us about the impact of the changes and make the process more easier,” he said. He hopes the forum would emerge as a consultative one in future as most of the activities will be of a consultative nature.

Source : newindianexpress.com