Kolkata port offers land to tea factories

Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) has approached the Tea Board of India to develop tea processing and packaging centre within the Kolkata Dock System (KDS) area.

KoPT chairman Anup K Chanda said the facility would be created in co-ordination with The Tea Board. The port would approach the Union ministry of commerce (MoC) to support the project.

"The operational modalities and ownership pattern will be worked out as we progress," he said while speaking at an interactive session with Merchants' Chamber of Commerce in Kolkata on Saturday.

Chanda said private companies were also interested to develop such infrastructure in the port area.

"I understand there is demand for packaged tea in the export market. We have identified four sites to be given to private parties for similar project over and above the one being planned with Tea Board," he said.

Presently, KoPT handles 61,000 tonne tea a year. This is expected to go up substantially with these initiatives.

Moreover, the port is trying to develop rail connectivity with tea producing areas in Assam and north Bengal with the help of Container Corporation of India (Concor).

S C Sengupta, past general manager of Eastern Railway and now advisor to KoPT, said efforts were on to develop a container terminal at Siliguri to facilitate tea movement.

"Even if it takes some time to materialise, the mega terminal at Kolkata, being developed by Concor, will be operational later this year. It will improve movement of container, including tea, in Kolkata," Sengupta informed.

Dry dock rate cut

KoPT has slashed charges for dry docks to attract more business. Chanda said there was huge demand from the industry for dry docks but KoPT was not generating enough business.

"They were used to be considered one of the high cost dry docks in India. With the new rates, they will be cheapest in the country," he claimed.

KoPT has five dry docks with it. All of them are located in KDS. Chanda also informed special rates would be announced for reefer containers to promote movement of perishable commodities.