Air cargo service from Nashik by April 2007

HAL, Concor join hands for service.

With an aim to facilitate export of perishable agricultural goods like grapes and onions and other goods, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and Container Corporation of India (Concor) are jointly planning to commence the direct air cargo service from Ozhar, 15 km from Nashik, by April or May end next year.

Initially, HAL and Concor expect export of 500 tonnes of goods every month through air cargo.

Nashik has emerged as one of the major industrial and agricultural centres after Mumbai and Pune, in Maharashtra.

The state government is also developing golden quadrangle, 'Mumbai-Pune-Nashik-Aurangabad.? As the industrial developments of Mumbai and Pune are close to the saturation limit, Nashik is becoming the next destination for auto, electrical and IT industries.

Besides, the Centre had recently announced Nashik as an Agri Export Zone (AEZ) for five crops - grapes, onions, pomegranates, keshar mango and flowers. It is also renowned as the Wine Capital of India and half of the total wineries across the country is in Nashik district.

The city is famous, particularly for two crops "" grapes and onions. Around 6 lakh metric tonne (MT) of grapes is produced in the district and around 13,000 mt is exported every year from here.

This apart, Nashik is the major onion market in the country as its produces 12 lakh metric tonnes of onions per year (including three crops "" kharif, rangada and rabbi).

The air cargo will be the part of the services to be provided at the Inland Container Depot, a joint venture between HAL and Concor, which is opening shortly. This will see a quantum jump in the movement of produce, especially perishable, from here to different parts of the country and abroad, according to a source close to the development.

"HAL is currently expanding its runway at Ozhar for the purpose. The air cargo warehouse, which has been set up at the Inland Container Depot at Ozhar, will be connected to the runway. One air cargo will have the loading (carrying) capacity of 16-22 tonnes at a time. Initially, HAL and Concor are aiming to export 500 tonnes of goods per month through air cargo. The direct air cargo service is expected to start from April or May next year," sources said.