The rice exports from Kakinada Anchorage Port have gained pace in the last two days. According to Port Officer Dharma Sastha, around 12 ships are awaiting the loading of raw and boiled rice. The loading process is underway for the last two days and the exports are likely to increase in the coming days as four sets of wagons are currently en route to the port from various parts of the country, he added.
On Sunday, several thousands of workers attended duties as usual at the port.
It may be recalled that on Saturday, former Kakinada City MLA Dwarampudi Chandrasekhar Reddy refuted charges of PDS rice smuggling, and also alleged that the propaganda of the ruling TDP-BJP-JSP coalition had damaged the reputation of the port. He claimed that exporters are shifting their operations to other ports.
It is pertinent to know that the rice exports were slightly affected following Deputy Chief Minister K Pawan Kalyan’s visit to the Kakinada Anchorage Port to ascertain the facts behind the alleged PDS rice smuggling aboard Stella L Panama ship recently.
Meanwhile, local trade union leaders conducted a round table meeting on Sunday in Kakinada and discussed various issues affecting the exports from the port.
They raised concern over the adverse effect of PDS rice smuggling on port operations. They passed a resolution urging the State government to address the loss of work due to the investigation, and initiate immediate measures to avoid work less days.