The Andhra Pradesh government is evaluating a proposal by the Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA) to acquire a 49% to 50% equity stake in the ₹4,361 crore Phase 1 development of Mulapeta Port. Under this framework, VPA seeks dedicated berths to transfer bulk, dust-heavy cargo like coal and iron ore away from Visakhapatnam, while converting 5,000 acres of salt land into an industrial SEZ. Simultaneously, APEDA executed Karnataka’s first air consignment of late-season Neelam and Totapuri mangoes to the Maldives, sourcing directly from Kolar-based Farmer Producer Companies to deliver 50% higher returns to local growers.
Geopolitical conflict in West Asia and currency depreciation pushed India’s Q1 crude oil import bill to an all-time high of $49.66 billion for 60.48 million tonnes, raising overall import dependence to 89.1%. Meanwhile, PLEXCONCIL and CIPET hosted the PLEXCONNECT 2026 conference in Chennai, where Tamil Nadu officials highlighted plans to prioritize engineering plastics to drive high-value exports.