Cargo traffic at major ports pegged at 5.2%: CMIE

August 12, 2009: Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), has pegged cargo traffic growth at major ports in the country at 5.2 percent for 2009-10.

The growth is likely on the back of an expected increase in domestic demand and trade in the second half of the current fiscal, CMIE said in its latest report on the state of the Indian economy.

The CMIE report also said that cargo traffic across the country's major ports clocked 8.1 per cent growth at 45.4 million tons during June on account of improvement in international trade and other factors.

The traffic staged a recovery after witnessing a decline between October 2008-May 2009 (barring December) as 13 major ports registered an increase, the report said. Improvement in the international trade situation and higher operational days with respec t to cargo movement due to weak monsoon were said to be the main reason driving the growth, the report said, adding the count was highest since May 2008.

Kandla Port, which witnessed 25.1 percent more traffic at 7.4 mt was the busiest port, replacing Visakhapatnam, CMIE said.

Source: Business Line