Kandla Deendayal Port Authority sets 170 MT cargo target after achieving 150 MT in FY 2024-25: Chairperson

KDPA Chairperson Sushil Kumar Singh announced that the port aims to handle 170 million tonnes of cargo, representing a growth rate of over 10%. This new target is expected to redistribute cargo volumes among other ports.

Speaking about the target, Singh said, "The target this time we have taken is 170 million tonnes, and it is based on the premise that we will be able to sustain our growth rate of more than 10 per cent, which will lead to some what we call redistribution of the cargo volumes on the other ports also. But then that is our target that we'll be able to achieve 170 million tonnes.

"Deendayal Port Authority Kandla has been able to achieve it's mission. We had taken up this mission of handling 150 million tonnes in 2024-25. We did 150.16 million tonnes. We achieved the target set by ourselves," DPA Chairman said speaking to ANI.

Singh emphasized that the port's success is attributed to its collaborative engagement with port users and stakeholders, including exporters, importers, shipping agents and customs agents.

He said, "We invited all the port users to give their suggestions and inputs on what should be done by the Port Authority to improve the productivity and efficiency of operations here within the existing constraints. We called all of them including exporters, importers, shipping agents, custom agents and all stakeholders involved in handling cargo through the port. Their inputs were taken at the face value and the changes in procedures were implemented by us."

The Port Authority revised and streamlined its procedures based on collective input, implementing changes swiftly to address operational bottlenecks.

He stated, "We implemented their suggestions by modifying and amending our procedures to the extent possible and we did it very fast."

Singh mentioned the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to position India's maritime sector as a leader on the global map, aligning with KDPA's goals

"As our PM has been saying, his vision is to position the maritime sector of the country as the leader on the global map. We are trying to create a leadership position in methanol bunkering... Kandla, being strategically located along the international trade lane, is in the best points to offer methanol, low carbon and green fuel," he added.

He further stressed that the insights from port users were instrumental in identifying and addressing pain points.

He added, "The basic understanding was that we should listen to our customers because they are the port users and are aware of the bottlenecks and pain points which can be addressed by the port."