Bhutan News

Indonesia has informed Australia’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) that lumpy skin disease (LSD) has been detected in Australian cattle exported to Indonesia by sea.Indonesia has now suspended cattle imports from four Australian pre-export quarantine facilities.Australia’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Mark Schipp, issued a statement saying that the finding came after those cattle had arrived and spent some time in Indonesia.“As Australia’s Chief Veterinary Officer…

The Minister of State for Shipping (Independent Charge), India, Mansukh Mandaviya will flag off an inland waterways vessel containing cargo from Bhutan to Bangladesh via Brahmaputra river and the Indo-Bangla Protocol Route today (July 12)."This is a first of its kind movement where an Indian inland waterway is being used for connecting two countries - landlocked Bhutan and Bangladesh,"said a press note from the shipping ministry of India.1000 Metric Ton of crushed stone aggregates will sail on Inland Waterways Authority of India’s (IWAI) vessel MV AAI from Dhubri port in Assam  to Narayanganj in Bangladesh through India’s NW2   and Indo…

India and Bangladesh discussed various issues pertaining to the protocol arrangements and improvement of inland water transportation between the two countries in the 19th Standing Committee meeting under ‘Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade’ (PIWTT)held at  New Delhi.The meeting was attended by high level delegations that included representatives of Ministries of  Shipping, External Affairs, Home, Finance, DONER and Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and officials from Bangladesh belonging toMinistry of Shipping, Board of Revenue, DG (Shipping)  and Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA).The two sides agreed to consider inclusion of Rupnarayan river (National Waterway-86) from Geonkhali to Kolaghatin West Bengal in the protocol route.

Maersk Line announced it has restarted shipping operations to the Republic of Maldives on the heels of rapidly growing market and meeting customer needs.The world’s largest container shipping company introduced a weekly service between Colombo and Male in an initiative aiming to provide a strategic trade opportunity to countries in South Asia.“Maldives has a flourishing tourism market and offers an excellent opportunity for global trade. Interestingly, around 90 percent of Maldives trade is import driven and spearheaded by China, India and Sri Lanka.

Maersk Line, the global containerized division of the Maersk Group, announced the commencement of its new commercial office in Kathmandu, Nepal from 1st of June this year.Maersk Line since its entry into the Nepal market over 20 years back has been providing shipping and logistical solutions through its strong network in India. However, with the rapid growth of trade in the region, Maersk Line sees an opportunity to serve its customers better by being closer to them.Maersk Line’s customer centric approach is reflected through its dual service offerings to Nepal through Kolkata and Visakhapatnam. Its offering between Kolkata port and Inland Container Depot (ICD) at Birgunj on merchant haulage underlines its focus to provide end-to-end shipping solutions.In June 2017…

India´s containerized trade with the BRICS´ nations trademarks a rise of 14 percent. Export trade from India to Brazil, China, Russia and South Africa in Q1 2018 increased 7,5 percent YOY from same period last year. South Africa turned to be Indian´s top trade partner.BRICS EXIM trade registers steady growth of 1.5 percent in Q1 2018 compared to Q1 2017. “Last year, the BRICS´ joint contribution to the world economy was 23.6 percent, and according to the International Monetary Fund’s predictions this is set to rise to 26.8 percent by 2022.

In the past one year, Maersk Line, the global containerized division of the Maersk Group has enabled movement of multiple consignments of complex cargo out of India successfully, said a press release. Due to its global presence and network, the exporter network of India has been able to successfully reach out to newer geographies. Commenting on the achievement, recently appointed Managing Director for Maersk Line (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives and Bhutan), Steve Felder said, ”In the past 18 months or so, we have expanded our horizon in various new commodity categories. India is at an exciting growth path and with our focus on adding value to the customer’s end to end cold chain, the commitment to support the growth of the trade is very strong and visible.

Maersk Line India announced the introduction of Export and Import service offerings at Kakinada port in Andhra Pradesh. This End to End service (Store Door) will enable customers in the region to reach global touch points. With this first time offering in Kakinada, Maersk Line will be able to containerize cargo at its origin, cut out wastage and complexities of dealing with multiple vendors and help move it to port in a cost-effective manner. This will have a direct bearing on rice farmers and growers in the region that would benefit from the ease that it brings and makes customers compete successfully in key rice export markets like Europe, Mediterranean, Middle East and the United States.

Member States of BIMSTEC ( Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation ) met in New Delhi this week to discuss modalities for promoting coastal shipping in the region. BIMSTEC member countries include India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Nepal. In this first meeting of the Working Group on 27th and 28th of November, member countries discussed the draft text of BIMSTEC Coastal Shipping Agreement drafted by the Ministry of Shipping, Government of India. The objective of the above agreement is to facilitate coastal shipping in the region, thereby giving a boost to trade between the member countries. The agreement would apply to coastal shipping, that is shipping within 20 nautical miles of the coastline.

The Inland Waterways Authority of India organized a road show in association with the Ministry Of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) in Guwahati last week to brainstorm on the major issues linked with developing the rivers of the North East as viable and sustainable means for cargo and passenger transportation. The seminar showcased the potential for cargo and passenger transportation on rivers Brahmaputra- NW- 2, Barak- NW- 16 and others. It also highlighted the enabling policies and infrastructure facilities available for safe handling and transportation of cargo on the navigable stretches where development works have commenced. Senior officials of the Govt. of Assam, Govt. of Meghalaya, Govt.

Secretary of State John Kerry will push India to make it easier for U.S. companies to do business there on a trip next week that also takes him to Europe to meet officials from Oman, Iran and Bulgaria, U.S. officials said on Friday. Earlier this week, the State Department said Kerry would travel to India this weekend to attend an investment summit promoted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and held in the city of Ahmedabad, in Modi's home state of Gujarat. Among the top agenda items on Kerry's trip, which is to be followed by a visit to India by President Barack Obama for India's Jan. 26 Republic Day celebrations, is breaking down some of the barriers to U.S. companies.