As bilateral trade between India and Australia continues to scale, supply chains along the corridor are entering a new phase—defined not only by cost and speed, but increasingly by capacity planning, resilience and sustainability.
These shifts were the focus of a high-level roundtable organised by the Indo-Australian Chamber of Commerce (AustCham India) in Mumbai on 5 February, which brought together senior leaders from logistics, EXIM, manufacturing and advisory sectors to assess how the trade corridor is evolving and what signals the market is sending.
The dialogue was inaugurated by Mr. Paul Murphy, Australian Consul-General in Mumbai, who underscored the importance of future-ready logistics systems to sustain long-term bilateral trade growth. The session was moderated by Mr. Abhishek Poddar, Chair, AustCham India – Western India Chapter.
Setting the context, Ms. Merin Devassia, CEO, AustCham India, highlighted why logistics efficiency and green supply chains are becoming central to the next phase of India–Australia trade engagement.
Key market signals
Participants noted that bilateral trade has crossed AUD 50 billion, resulting in rising container demand and a growing need for improved capacity forecasting and routing strategies. Sea freight continues to remain the backbone of the corridor, with increasing interest in route optimisation, selective direct services and stronger coastal connectivity.
At the same time, air cargo capacity remains constrained—particularly for perishables and time-sensitive shipments—posing challenges for exporters and logistics providers. Encouragingly, greener shipping solutions, including lower-emission routes and fuel-efficient vessels, are moving from conceptual discussions to viable commercial options.
Industry leaders also emphasised that market intelligence—such as freight trends, container availability and routing visibility—is becoming as critical as physical infrastructure in enabling efficient trade flows.
The road ahead
The next phase of growth in the India–Australia trade corridor is expected to be driven by smarter logistics planning, cleaner shipping solutions and stronger market signals, enabling businesses to scale operations with greater confidence. Continued industry-led dialogue, participants agreed, will be essential to building predictable, efficient and future-ready supply chains between the two countries.
