Indian High Commission urges Mozambique government to stop irregularities at Nacala port

02-Aug-2024 11:54 AM

Maputo. The Indian High Commission has sent a letter to the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Mozambique urging to curb the arbitrariness and irregularities of the officials at the Nacala port.

The letter underlined the strong trade relations between India and Mozambique and said that about 20-25 crore dollars worth of pulses are exported from Mozambique to India annually.

The High Commission has said in its letter that the exporters of Mozambique and Malawi who ship pulses to India are facing obstruction and unreasonable demands of the officials at the Nacala port. Additional documents are demanded from the exporters and ships are prevented from departing from the port.

The High Commission has urged the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs of Mozambique to intervene immediately in the matter to ensure that the port authorities facilitate and ease the custom clearance process for exporters with appropriate documentation and that no shipments are obstructed.

The High Commission said that such harassment at the ports and unnecessary delays in shipments are not acceptable and may negatively impact the enthusiasm and attractiveness of Mozambique for Indian investors. Indian importers are currently preferring to import pulses from Mozambique.

The Indian High Commission in its letter has also expressed its commitment to assist in increasing the use of Nacala and Vedara ports by exporters from neighbouring countries.

It is noteworthy that exporters from Malawi also frequently use Nacala port to ship tur exports to India.

The High Commission said that exporters from other neighbouring African countries would also be encouraged to increase the use of Mozambique's ports provided the system is good.

Nacala is an important port of Mozambique but an anti-India group is active there which needs to be curbed.