Pointing out that Andhra Pradesh is one of the largest food producers of the country, the A.P. Chambers of Commerce and Industry Federation said it is high time that the Vijayawada International Airport gets a customs-notified cargo centre to facilitate exports of goods to other countries.
In a letter addressed to Airports Authority of India Chairman Sanjeev Kumar, members of the Chambers said the State occupies a premier position in the country’s agri-business industry and that the food processing sector has made enormous progress in the State.
However, due to the absence of a customs-notified cargo centre, the exporters are having to ship these from Hyderabad airport. This will only incur more expenses and lead to wastage of time, the letter said. On an average, it is estimated that approximately 800 tonnes of cargo being shipped from Hyderabad airport daily belongs to Vijayawada and neighbouring places, they said.
Besides, the A.P. Chambers said the passenger aircraft and cargo flights are already carrying domestic goods. “They will be willing to pick up international cargo if the centre is customs-notified,” they said, adding that the flights can carry minimum three tonnes of goods and can scale up the volume if the flight load is less.
With mango season fast approaching, there is a huge export potential for Andhra Pradesh from the Vijayawada airport, which is connected to the United Arab Emirates and Oman. The A.P. Chambers, therefore, requested that a customs-notified cargo centre be set up at the airport to benefit exporters of nearby regions.
Meanwhile, the A.P. Chambers signed an MoU with Vinh Long Trade Promotion Centre, Vinh Long, Govt. of Vietnam, for bilateral trade and tourism promotion.
The MoU was signed between A.P. Chambers Convenor K. Lakshminarayana and Vinh Long Trade Promotion Centre Director Ho Trung Nghia in Vietnam on March 5 in the presence of the Consulate General of India for Vietnam, Madan Mohan Sethi and others.
