US-Israel-Iran-war: Gulf crisis halts agricultural exports; over hundreds of trucks loaded with sugar and other items stranded in Maharashtra
US-Israel-Iran-war: Pune/Solapur: Agricultural exports from Maharashtra have come to a complete halt due to the ongoing conflict in the Gulf region. Currently, approximately 700 trucks loaded with sugar and 10 trucks carrying jaggery are stranded at ports. Large consignments of bananas, raisins, and grapes are also awaiting export.
This has increased the concerns of farmers, traders, and transporters. Exporters say that uncertainty regarding trade routes and shipping schedules connecting the Gulf countries is leading to a buildup of inventories.
Given the deteriorating situation in the Gulf countries, stakeholders fear huge financial losses. Farmers are particularly concerned about perishable products like grapes and raisins. Traders and transporters are also facing rising storage costs and logistical constraints.
1,200 containers of bananas are stuck in cold storage
The escalating war between the US, Israel, and Iran has also directly impacted Maharashtra's banana producers. Nearly 1,200 containers of bananas are currently stuck in cold storage in Karmala town in Solapur district, halting exports worth crores of rupees.
According to banana growers, harvesting has completely stopped for the past two days. Previously, 1,000 to 1,200 tons of bananas were harvested daily, but that has now come to a halt. Containers that had already been sent for export are also facing uncertainty. There are reports of some containers that have reached destinations like Iran being recalled.
The unavailability of ships carrying the fruit due to the tense geopolitical situation has created a major economic crisis for banana growers, causing them to suffer huge losses.