Logistics sector needs to work on transparent shipping rates: Goyal

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday expressed concerns over certain issues in the logistics sectors, such as the announcement of shipping rates and opaqueness in shipping bills, and urged the industry to work on these areas.Still, I am not satisfied with the shipping rates, which are not announced transparently.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday expressed concerns over certain issues in the logistics sectors, such as the announcement of shipping rates and opaqueness in shipping bills, and urged the industry to work on these areas.

''Still, I am not satisfied with the shipping rates, which are not announced transparently. There are ambiguities and opaqueness in the shipping bills. You need have to work on that,'' Goyal said.

The minister was addressing representatives of the logistics sectors at the National Logistics Excellence award here.

''Logistics has several leakages. Several meetings we have held...I was benevolent because of Covid....(I hope) I do not have to make some tough decisions in the meetings later,'' he cautioned.

Certain quarters of the industry, including exporters, have raised issues with regard to shipping rates, which impact the cost of products.

He said that the industry and government will have to work together to reduce the logistics cost, which is estimated at 13-14 per cent of the GDP against 7-8 per cent in the developed nations.

The minister also said that the government is working on schemes to make container manufacturing viable in India. He expressed hope that soon some new ideas would come for making sure that container manufacturing not only meets India's requirements but also the world's. ''We are very seriously working to see how we can expand shipbuilding in India...We want to attract shipping lines,'' he added.