Govt clears agri facility at JNPA

The government has approved export-import-cum-domestic agricultural commodity-based processing & storage facility at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA).

Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal has cleared the facility in the public-private partnership or PPP mode. Its cost is Rs 284.19 crore, an official press release said today.

The JNPA is set to establish an all-in-one, state-of-the-art agricultural facility at the port, spanning 67,422 square meters. This pioneering facility will address inefficiencies in logistics, reduce multiple handlings, and extend the shelf life of agricultural products. Expected benefits include better prices for agricultural goods, job creation, and overall growth in the agricultural sector. It will empower farmers and exporters, stimulate demand, and foster rural development, the release said.

The facility will cater to the exports of prominent items like non-basmati rice, maize, spices, onion, and wheat. As the JNPA is the dominant gateway for frozen meat products and a major gateway for marine products, the new facility will also support exporters of meat and marine products from areas away from Mumbai, the release said.

Small exporters, in particular, will benefit from the port-based facility, improving their capabilities in logistics, container booking, cold chain logistics, and export operations. The estimated export capacity increase includes a frozen store of 1,800 metric tonnes, a cold store of 5,800 metric tonnes, and dry warehouses with a capacity of 12,000 metric tonnes for grains, cereals, and dry cargo.

The JNPA, the first major port of the country, is a 100 per cent landlord port, with all berths operated in the PPP mode. The JNPA is one of the leading container ports among the top 100 global ports.

In Maharashtra, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) is also developing one of the biggest ports in the country, the Vadhavan Port, with a total investment of about Rs 76,220 crore. It will be developed as an all-weather greenfield deep draft major port at Vadhavan, Palghar district. This will include development of core infrastructure, terminals, and other commercial infrastructure in the PPP mode.

The proposed Vadhavan port is a high-priority initiative for the government and is designed to handle an annual cargo of 23 million TEUs or 254 million tons, boasting a natural draft of 20 meters to accommodate larger container vessels of up to 20,000 TEUs. Once completed, the project will rank among the world's top 10 largest ports and serve as a significant green fuel hub.