ICTT to entice Tirupur exporters to boost volume

KOCHI: DP World, the operator of International Container Trans-shipment Terminal (ICTT) at Vallarpadam, along with Kerala Chamber Exim Forum (KCEF), is trying to woo exporters from Tirupur, Tamil Nadu to help increase the volume of exports through the terminal.

"We will be visiting Tirupur soon to convince exporters that ICTT is taking more business-friendly steps. In fact, we need businesses towns like Tirupur or Coimbatore to help ICTT survive," said M K Ansari, convener of Kochi-based KCEF.

According to an ICTT official, the terminal handles 2.5 lakh TEUs of cargo and 1 lakh TEUs of seafood every year. "Roughly 80% of the cargo is originating from Kerala, while towns like Bangalore and Coimbatore contribute the remaining," he said.

As part of making ICTT a business-friendly economic zone, Cochin Container Carriers' Welfare Association (CCCOWA) has recently agreed to bring National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (Natpac) to help standardize the rates.

"Double service tax is imposed on almost 75% of containers and once this practice is stopped, it would bring down the cost of import of a twenty foot container by Rs 500, which will have a significant impact on exports and imports in Kerala," said Ansari.

Source : dailyshippingtimes.com