Thanks to Olympics, vegetable, leather goods exports swell

Kolkata -  Exports of vegetables, fruits and leather goods from West Bengal to Britain have risen many folds, thanks to the ongoing London Olympics.

Vegetables like beans, gourd, long gourd and green chili and fruits such as papaya, guava and jackfruit grown in the state are in high demand due to the July 27-Aug 12 London Games.

"Usually we send on an average 2-3 tonnes of vegetables and fruits from Kolkata to Britain in a week. But due to the Olympics, now we have been sending about 20 tonnes per week," Amin

Khan, regional cargo manager of Emirates airlines told IANS here Monday.

He said the surge in demand for vegetables and fruits started a month ago.

Export of leather goods such as bags, wallets, purses and jute bags to London have also gone up. Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, which usually send 15-20 tonnes of leather goods by air and  8-10 tonnes by sea, are currently sending 70 tonnes only by air due to sudden rise in demand.

"Because of the ongoing Olympics in London, demands for leather goods in the UK have increased many folds. The mode of transportation has also been changed," said Hellmann's Badal

Dey.

Dey said major consignments of leather goods were now being flown out from Kolkata to London as importers wanted those immediately.

"Usually by sea, a consignment from Kolkata port takes about 35 days to reach ports of Southampton and Felixstowe," Dey said.

He said this trend of hike in leather goods export from Kolkata was expected to continue for another three weeks.

"Let us hope for the best, because the next Olympics would be after four years in Rio de Janeiro," he added.