The Hindu : Business : Tuticorin port's initiative to woo cargo

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Aug 17, 2006

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Business

Tuticorin port's initiative to woo cargo

Staff Reporter

Cashew is one of the traditional items handled by Kochi port

KOCHI: In the wake of stiff competition, major ports in the country are offering special concessions to woo cargo. The Tuticorin Port Trust is offering special incentive schemes for raw cashew. One of them being a 10 per cent concession in marine charges to vessels from Africa carrying raw cashew provided these vessels do not call at the Kochi port.

Trade information on web site http://www.tuticorinport.gov.in/incen/incentive.htm says: "As far as raw cashew in container is concerned, direct calls by the container vessels from Africa shall attract marine charges with 10 per cent concession provided the particular vessel does not call at the Kochi port during the same voyage and at least 80 per cent of the containers carrying raw cashew are destined for the Tuticorin port."

The offer is part of the Special Incentive for Raw Cashew Import offered by the Tuticorin port, which is part of the incentive scheme for 2006-07 to attract more volume of cargo and vessels to the port.

The Tuticorin port is also offering a 50 per cent rebate in wharfage for the entire quantity of imported raw cashew as break bulk cargo. "The concession, which was hitherto extended for storage of raw cashew nut allowing free days from five to 10 days, shall continue to exist until it is modified by the Board," says the website.

Cashew is one of the traditional items handled by the Kochi port. During the last five years, the port's share of the cashew business in the country has been on the rise.

Raw cashew import through the Kochi port stood at 0.64 lakh tonnes in 2000-01. It went up to 3.12 lakh tonnes as per the provisional figures for 2005-06. Similarly, the export of cashew kernel through the Kochi port stood at 0.57 lakh tonnes in 2000-01 and it went up to 1.08 lakh tonnes in 2005-06 (provisional figures).

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