In December 2023, central government-owned ports in India saw a minor year-on-year growth of 0.7 percent in cargo volumes, handling 69.9 million metric tonnes (mmt) of cargo. Meanwhile, non-major ports experienced a more significant growth of 8.1 percent, handling 58.1 mmt of cargo. Despite a 3.3 percent increase in overseas cargo, major ports faced an overall flat growth due to an 8 percent decline in coastal cargo at 15 mmt.
In contrast, non-major ports saw a 10.3 percent growth in overseas cargo and a marginal decrease of 0.03 percent in coastal cargo. The shift of Tamil Nadu electricity board’s thermal coal cargo from Visakhapatnam Port to Gangavaram Port contributed to a 59 percent increase in coastal traffic at Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board. Non-major ports in Odisha also saw a significant 60 percent rise in coastal cargo.
During the financial year, food grains, excluding pulses, experienced the highest contraction of 82 percent in major ports, followed by cement, sugar, coking coal, and other commodities and fertilisers. Kandla Port in Gujarat faced a loss of nearly 7 million tonnes of overseas cargo due to a ban on non-basmati rice exports, while private ports in Gujarat recorded a 7 percent increase in overseas cargo volumes. As a result, Kandla Port lost its position as the port with the highest cargo handled among major ports to Odisha’s Paradip Port, which recorded a 14 percent growth in overseas cargo and handled a total of 105 mmt of cargo. Inland waterways also saw stable cargo volumes, remaining consistent with the previous financial year.
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