Mangaluru International Airport, situated near India’s coastal city of Mangaluru, logged a record 649 tons of cargo handling in June this year, most of it being perishables. Cargo handling at the airport began just five years ago. According to data available, in June 2018, the cargo terminal handled 649.5 tons of goods, the majority of this being vegetable and fruits airlifted to Gulf countries.
However, many industries in the coastal region are yet to make use of this facility. Interestingly, most of the vegetable and fruits that fly to the Gulf countries are procured from and packed in Kerala and sent to the Gulf through MIA. These include small onion, drumstick, gourds, banana, pineapple, papaya and mango.
KA Srinivasan, manager at MIA says cargo frequency, especially fruits and vegetables to the Gulf, picked up after the Qatar crisis. The tonnage had dropped in May due to the Nipah scare in Kerala, again improving in June.
The exports facility at the airport commenced in 2013 and in the first year, exports stood at 116.6 tons. The figure improved to nearly 339 tons in 2014-15 while in 2015-16, it rose to nearly 474 tons.
Over 748 tons was imported in 2016-17 and the figure rose to 2,251 tons in 2017-18. In the first three months of 2018-19, exports stood at 1,068 tons. In June 2018 the largest recorded cargo in the history of MIA was shifted, at 649 tons.
Despite having cargo facility, industries in coastal regions aren’t making much use of it, laments Srinivasan, who has held discussions with the Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “If such organisations come forward, the cargo terminal at MIA will get a positive boost.”
Source: cantoncaller.com