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Informist, Monday, Mar. 2, 2026

 

NEW DELHI – The commerce ministry Monday held a consultation with stakeholder ministries, key logistics and trade facilitation partners to review the emerging geopolitical situation and its potential impact on India's export-import cargo flows, to ensure trade continuity, the ministry said in a release. The ministry reaffirmed that it will continue to engage closely with all stakeholders and relevant ministries or departments to ensure that India's trade continues to move efficiently and that any emerging issues are addressed in a timely manner.

 

The meeting was called after Israel and the US launched joint military strikes on Iran, prompting retaliation from Tehran. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, and several of the country's top military leaders were killed in the first wave of attacks by Israel and the US Saturday. Iran has since retaliated against Israel and also targeted US military installations around the Persian Gulf region. Iran has also shut the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway that connects the Persian Gulf with the Indian Ocean, resulting in a jump in crude oil and natural gas prices. A fifth of global crude oil supply flows through the Strait of Hormuz. About half of India's crude oil imports--primarily from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait--also pass through the strait, making the country particularly vulnerable to shipping bottlenecks and surging freight and insurance rates.

 

Against this backdrop, stakeholders presented an assessment of the evolving operational environment, including routing and transit-time changes, vessel scheduling adjustments, container or equipment availability, freight and insurance cost trends, and implications for time-sensitive exports, the ministry said. The discussions also covered the need to maintain predictability in cargo movement, minimise avoidable delays, and ensure seamless documentation and payment processes for exporters and importers.

 

"The Department reiterated the Government of India's priority of ensuring continuity of EXIM (export-import) logistics and mitigating any disruptions to India's trade flows," the commerce ministry said. "It was emphasised that the approach will remain facilitative and coordinated, with a focus on maintaining supply chain resilience, protecting the interests of exporters--particularly MSMEs--with a view that essential imports required for domestic production and consumption are not adversely affected."

 

During the meeting, it was agreed amongst the stakeholders to maintain close, real-time coordination for monitoring route and capacity developments, surcharges, and equipment availability. According to the release, mechanisms for facilitation of time-sensitive export segments such as perishables, pharmaceuticals, and high-value manufactured exports were also discussed. "The meeting emphasised strengthening facilitation at ports/ICDs (Inland Container Depots) and ensuring smooth cargo evacuation to avoid congestion and extended dwell times."

 

The government also informed stakeholders about its readiness to facilitate trade operations, including procedural flexibility in export-related authorisations in cases of genuine disruption, coordination with customs authorities to ensure smooth clearance, engagement with financial and insurance institutions to support exporter interests, and continued inter-ministerial coordination.

 

The meeting was chaired by Suchindra Misra, special secretary of the commerce ministry, and Director General of Foreign Trade Lav Agarwal, and was attended by representatives from logistics operators and shipping lines or forwarders, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, the Reserve Bank of India, export promotion ecosystem and other concerned agencies.  End

 

Reported by Priyasmita Dutta

Edited by Ashish Shirke

 

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