Maize stock lies idle at Kakinada port

About 12 ships are waiting to load maize worth 45,000 tonne here. "Nearly 150,000 tonne of maize worth Rs 150 crore has been stocked in godowns to be exported within 15 days,'' said Vinodkumar Agarwal, president of the Maize Exporters Association.

According to him, owing to the ban, the exporters have to pay nearly $10,000 per day per ship as demurrages. This has also resulted in stoppage of payments to maize growers to the tune of Rs 200 crore. Though the minimum supporting price (MSP) for maize is Rs 640, the maize growers are getting Rs 750 to Rs 1,015 per tonne, he added.

 

The maize stock lying in the godowns has already received consent letters for export, said Agarwal and urged the government to at least allow them to export the approved quantity.

"We have already met Union minister of Commerce Kamal Nath and would again meet him and agriculture minister Sharad Pawar in this regard. We would approach the court as a last resort," said Agarwal.