<p>NEW DELHI: With international freight having gone up by an estimated 15-20% and war-risk surcharges and insurance premiums for Gulf transits having risen steeply, Indian rice exporters on Thursday sought urgent relief measures from the government. The Indian Rice Exporters Federation in its plea to the government asked for a waiver of port-related charges (storage/demurrage and other levies), where cargo is rolled due to vessel cancellations; and facilitation for cargo in transit to be returned, redirected or diverted, with Customs and RBI support for documentation and payment adjustments. </p>.Indian basmati held up at ports and in transit as Iran war halts new deals.<p>In addition, they urged the Centre to issue an official advisory, recognising the disruption as a force majeure-type event to prevent unfair contractual penalties; and temporary banking support through ad-hoc working capital limits and credit extensions, on lines similar to COVID-era relief. Industry estimates suggest that around 4 lakh metric tonnes of basmati rice is currently stuck at ports or mid-transit. </p>
<p>NEW DELHI: With international freight having gone up by an estimated 15-20% and war-risk surcharges and insurance premiums for Gulf transits having risen steeply, Indian rice exporters on Thursday sought urgent relief measures from the government. The Indian Rice Exporters Federation in its plea to the government asked for a waiver of port-related charges (storage/demurrage and other levies), where cargo is rolled due to vessel cancellations; and facilitation for cargo in transit to be returned, redirected or diverted, with Customs and RBI support for documentation and payment adjustments. </p>.Indian basmati held up at ports and in transit as Iran war halts new deals.<p>In addition, they urged the Centre to issue an official advisory, recognising the disruption as a force majeure-type event to prevent unfair contractual penalties; and temporary banking support through ad-hoc working capital limits and credit extensions, on lines similar to COVID-era relief. Industry estimates suggest that around 4 lakh metric tonnes of basmati rice is currently stuck at ports or mid-transit. </p>
