July 12, 2020: The first parcel cargo with red chillies for export to Bangladesh was flagged off from Guntur in Andhra Pradesh on Friday.
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal in a tweet hailed the Indian Railways for gearing up to export the dry chillies to Bangladesh.
The Special Parcel Express (SPE) from Guntur station of the South Central railway is carrying 384 tonnes of parcel over the distance of 1372 kilometre from Reddipalem in Guntur to Benapole in Bangladesh.
Guntur is the centre for export of Chilli and other spices from India. It is among the largest chilli producing districts in India.
The transportation cost by railways works out to be cheaper compared to the road transport.
The permission for running the parcel cargo into Bangladesh was obtained quickly with the help of the High Commission of India in Bangladesh.
Earlier the High Commission of India had requested the Ministry of Railways, Bangladesh to facilitate parcel train service between India and Bangladesh during the video conference meeting arranged by the High Commission of India on 4th May.
The Railway Adviser at the High Commission of India in Bangladesh Anita Barik said that this new service other than the freight services will boost bilateral trade by rail between India and Bangladesh.
Bangladesh has a high demand for spices like turmeric, ginger, onion and cumin seeds from India. The export of spices from India to Bangladesh had been affected as the transport services between the two countries got disrupted due to COVID-19 related restrictions since March.
Source: DD News
