VOC Port posts record growth in Rock Phosphate handling

VOC Port has reported a strong performance in the handling of Rock Phosphate, a key raw material for fertilizer production, achieving 2,46,662 tonnes up to July in the current financial year 2025–26. This represents a 16.01% growth over the 2,12,630 tonnes handled during the same period in 2024–25.

The Port has recorded a steady upward trend in Rock Phosphate traffic in recent years: 6.63 lakh tonnes in 2022–23, rising to 7.06 lakh tonnes in 2023–24, and further increasing to 7.88 lakh tonnes in 2024–25.

Equipped with robust infrastructure, VOC Port handles Rock Phosphate primarily through NCB-II and NCB-III berths with a 14.2-metre draft, as well as Berths 1–7. Operations are supported by five harbour mobile cranes and eight hoppers, ensuring efficient cargo evacuation. For storage, the Port offers three warehouses (14,940 sq. m.) and two transit sheds (10,878 sq. m.), enabling smooth cargo management.

Major importers using the Port include Greenstar Fertilizers Ltd (Tuticorin), Coimbatore Pioneer Fertilizers Pvt Ltd, Silverline Fertilizers Pvt Ltd (Tuticorin), and K.P.R. Cropsciences Pvt Ltd with units in Koppal (Karnataka) and Biccavolu (Andhra Pradesh).

Shri Susanta Kumar Purohit, IRSEE, Chairperson of VOC Port, noted that with rising fertilizer production across southern India, Rock Phosphate volumes are expected to grow further. He expressed confidence that the Port is on track to handle over 1 million tonnes of Rock Phosphate during FY 2025–26.