Shipping crisis halts Middle East routes for India's largest fruit export, bananas

The ongoing conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran has led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in a global shipping standstill. 

Among the casualties is the Indian produce industry, which currently has roughly 1,000 containers of bananas, grapes, onions, watermelons, and muskmelons stuck at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) in Mumbai, The Indian Express reports. 

As scheduled fresh produce shipments continue to arrive at JNPA, the backlog keeps growing.

In light of the escalating armed conflict, all major ocean carriers, including Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, CMA CGM, and MSC, have suspended services on several Middle East routes connecting to the South Asian country and diverted remaining vessels around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. 

The move has extended transit times, raised freight costs, and jeopardized produce quality, resulting in utter chaos at the region’s main ports.

Bananas take the hardest hit

The banana sector is India’s largest fruit export category by volume, and has been particularly affected by the standstill. 

Andhra Pradesh is the largest banana-producing state in the country, followed by Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh, which collectively accounted for around 67 percent of total production in the fiscal year 2022-23.

“Export rates, which ranged from about $0.095 to $0.12 per pound, have already fallen to around $0.045 to $0.05 per pound. If the situation does not resolve within two to three weeks, exporters may be forced to offload stock in the domestic market, where prices are as low as $0.025 per pound,” grower-exporter Abhijeet Patil told the news outlet. “Cold storage extends shelf life by about a month, but adds about $0.0065 per pound every eight days, an additional cost that eats into already shrinking margins.”

Another banana producer, Hanuman Dake, said export disruptions have flooded the domestic market, pressuring prices.

“Local, GI-tagged Jalgaon bananas, which are usually exported to destinations like Dubai, have seen prices plummet as exports have stalled. And with this, there is an oversupply in the domestic market, causing farmers to struggle with unsold inventory,” he said.

Compounding an already bad situation, some shipments already in transit have been forced to cut their trip short, Mumbar-based exporter Satish Pawar said.

“Some banana containers that had already left India ten to 15 days ago, en route to Iran and Dubai, have been offloaded mid-route at ports in the UAE’s Khorfakkan, Oman, and Mundra, as the closure of Iranian and Dubai ports left ships with nowhere to berth. Around 400 banana containers are currently stuck in transit,” he notes.

Export uncertainty

The disruption has also affected table grape shipments from Maharashtra, one of India’s key export regions. In Sangli, about 230 containers remain stuck at the port, with additional fruit held in cold storage facilities.

Watermelon and muskmelon exports have also been affected. Pune-based exporter Mayur Sapkal said more than 50 containers of watermelons remain stuck at the port. Maharashtra typically exports around 500 containers of watermelons each year, each carrying about 26,000 pounds.

Mangos, another Indian staple, also face uncertainty ahead of the start of the Alphonso variety season. 

*All images are referential. 

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