CII deliberates on ‘Creating Synergies to develop Multi-modal and Air Cargo Logistics for Goa’
The 8th Edition of CII Goa Conference on Logistics was held on the theme ‘Creating Synergies to develop Multi-modal and Air Cargo Logistics for Goa’.
The theme for this year’s edition was selected with an objective to highlight potential opportunities and call for greater utilisation of air cargo led multi-modal logistics infrastructure.
Speaking at the inaugural session for the event, Swati Salgaocar, Chairperson, CII Goa State Council, said “Goa is poised to transform into an air cargo led regional multi-modal logistics hub. The international airport in Mopa is expected to provide the right kind of impetus to the logistics sector in the state.”
Setting the theme for the conference, Anthony Gaskell, Mentor, CII Goa Panel on Logistics and Director, Sentrans Shipping Pvt Ltd highlighted the need for infrastructure development for augmentation of Multi-Modal Logistics which would be a game changer for the State along with robust policies by the Government to support this industry.
Saurabh Kumar, Chief Executive Officer, GMR Cargo, presented the plan for handling of cargo. “The upcoming airport at Mopa has a strong potential for exports especially pharma, agri perishables cargo such as fruits and vegetables, marine products, aerospace, IT etc.”
Sunil Chordia, Chairman, and all stakeholders to enhance and sustainably promote the logistics sector in the state and to address the various challenges faced in this sector, that has led to high logistics cost incurred by both the local and export/import trade.”
Suresh Prabhu, former Union Minister, stated that Goa is strategically located and often referred to as the gateway to Middle-East and Europe. “I feel Goa has a tremendous potential for exports. Goa has good connectivity with the rest of the country via road, air, rail and port; this connectivity will be further enhanced by the commencement of the Greenfield International Airport at Mopa.”
Mauvin Godinho, Minister Industries and Transport, Government of Goa stated that the Government of Goa has put in great effort to upgrade the logistics landscape in the Western Region. “We have provided for the development of dedicated logistics parks and freight corridors, technology upgrades to various backend systems, formulation of a robust logistics policy for the state, which would be notified within a few days.”
The plenary sessions were hosted by industry experts from various fields, key government officials and stakeholders. The preliminary session focused on Unlocking and Leveraging Air Cargo Potential at the upcoming Greenfield International Airport at Mopa, wherein the key discussion points were the development of critical infrastructure for cargo terminals and logistics ecosystem such as cold chain facilities, additional road infrastructure, last mile connectivity and warehousing facilities to optimise logistics cost.
The following session on approach to make Goa a preferred Logistics Hub in Western India highlighted the ongoing developments related to logistics infrastructure in Goa, its greater role in growing domestic and international trade and inherent competitiveness by leveraging the unique benefits under the ‘Pradhan Mantri Gati Shakti Plan’.
The session also explored ways by which Goa could develop warehousing facilities, truck terminals, Inland Container Depots (ICD), Container Freight Station (CFS) Integration across strategic locations in the state with seamless connectivity.
As regards the session on exploring the potential of Goa as a Multi-Modal Logistics Hub, the major points were the development works currently going on in the state aimed at strengthening the state’s first and last mile connectivity by creating a common platform through building the necessary infrastructure which will connect North to South Goa and the need to provide seamless connectivity for timely movement of cargo in adequate volumes which would facilitate the trade by lowering overall freight costs and time, optimising warehousing costs, reducing vehicular pollution and congestion, improving tracking and traceability of consignments, making it a game changer for Goa.
The session on Digitalisation of the Pharma Logistics and Cold Chain/Regulatory clearances highlighted how digitisation allows companies to fully integrate their supply chains and improve operational processes, making them more adaptive and responsive, as well as regulatory approvals and clearances required from Central and State Governments for pharma products and other cold chain products and their exports
The key takeaways of the conference are to provide an integrated, cost-effective, seamless, timely delivery of projects and to encourage investments to boost Goa’s economy.
