Minimising Monopoly Of Shipping Companies Can Be A Win-Win For Exporters

The grounding of Jet Airways has not only transformed the story of air cargo exporters’ but also of the ocean shippers, who have been hit by the price hike. In an interaction with Shalini Nair, Anand Sejwal, MD & chairman of Bombay Exports, explains why the government needs to be more proactive in implementing the National Agriculture Export Policy and how cluster developments can enhance the production quality.

As a perishable exporter, what benefits are you expecting to get once national Agriculture export Policy is implemented?

The policy must be implemented in proper terms with certain priorities. First one is the continued supply of better quality products and defined rates, i.e. price fluctuations which occur as per demand. The second one is space allocation while booking the shipment. In certain countries, agriculture is given the priority, so they get minimum space whether it is transported by sea or air. In India, we are totally at the mercy of the carriers and there is no control of the government on the same. The business moves ahead as per the carriers’ requirement and not per the export policy. The third one is the consistency of the policy. Last year, the government has ceased the subsidy on onions by asking for a minimum export price and letter of credit which hampered the exports. These are the few concerns we had been deliberating with the government and we hope that the policy is implemented for the benefit of the exports.

What are the bottlenecks faced by an exporter? Do you feel the government is taking enough measures to consider perishable exporters requirement?