THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Exporters in the city are keeping their fingers crossed as some of the Gulf countries have imposed a blanket ban on fruits and vegetables from Kerala. Already the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait have banned imports and even consignments sent to UAE from Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday returned.
These countries were among the major markets of fruits and vegetables from here, and the demand was higher during the month of Ramadan. Exporters were trying to allay fears citing no Nipah incidents were reported from southern parts of the state. They also said that a good chunk of plantains and vegetables exported through Thiruvananth-apuram comes from neighbouring Tamilnadu and Karnataka states where no Nipah was reported.
Various varieties of plantains and assorted vegetables form the significant part of perishable commodities exported through Thiruvananthapuram airport. About 50-tonne cargo used to be exported from here daily. Apart from UAE, Bahrain and Kumari, Saudi Arabia and Oman are other major destinations, industry sources said.
Meanwhile, a dip in exports would also affect the public sector undertaking Kerala State Industrial Enterprises (KSIE) which runs the cargo terminal at the airport here. Revenue from cargo complex is one of the major income sources of KSIE, and hence it would be detrimental to the cash-strapped KSIE.
