Kochi port urges Govt to lift palm oil import ban

A case for reviewing the ban on import of palm oil through Kochi Port has been taken up by the Board of Trustees of the port when it decided to send a delegation to the State Government seeking to review the order.

The Port Trust Chairman, N Ramachandran, said that the port management will send a delegation to meet the Chief Minister and the Industries Minister to reconsider the decision as it is badly affecting the revenue of the port.

He said the ban had not helped the cause it sought to protect while the port had suffered a significant fall in the throughput of a cargo that it had traditionally handled. Besides, the State Government is also losing a huge amount of money by way of taxes through the ban.

There is no point in continuing with the ban when neighbouring States are handling palm oil imports through their respective ports and moving it to the State for marketing.
Taken from Business Line