India’s connectivity and trade with landlocked but resource-rich Central Asia got a boost with the recent shipment of a cargo consignment from Gujarat using the eastern route of the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
The consignment was dispatched from Gujarat’s Mundra port on India’s west coast. It is slated to reach Kazakhstan after traversing Iran, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, bolstering India’s efforts to tap the eastern route of INSTC for undertaking trade with Central Asia, sources said.
The consignment will first arrive at Iran’s Bandar Abbas port after which it will be transported by train through Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan for reaching its final destination in Kazakhstan. INSTC connects western India with Russia through Iran. The corridor’s eastern route is considered the most convenient among all its three branches in terms of volume of goods transportation and geographical coverage. The eastern route of INSTC is also used by India for trading with Russia.