India has so far supplied six mobile harbour cranes (two 140 tons and four 100 tons capacity) and other equipment worth $ 25 million.
Meanwhile, India Ports Global Limited (IPGL), through its wholly owned subsidiary, India Ports Global Chabahar Free Zone (IPGCFZ), took over the operations of the Chabahar port on 24th December 2018.
Since then, it has handled traffic of more than 90,000 TEUs of container traffic and more than 8.4 MMT of bulk and general cargo. The port has also facilitated the supply of humanitarian assistance, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Until now, a total of 2.5 million tons of wheat and 2000 tons of pulses have been trans-shipped from India to Afghanistan through Chabahar. In 2021, India supplied 40,000 litres of environment friendly pesticide (Malathion) to Iran to fight the locust menace through the port.
The Chabahar port has provided much needed sea-access to the landlocked countries of the region including Afghanistan and emerged as a commercial transit hub for the region. It is a more economical and stable route for landlocked countries of the region to reach India and the global market.
It may be recalled that during the visit of Prime Minister Modi to Iran in May 2016, a trilateral agreement to establish the International Transport and Transit Corridor (Chabahar Agreement) was signed by India, Iran and Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, in August 2023, PM Modi met with President Raisi of Iran in Johannesburg on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit. Both leaders gave a clear political direction to finalise and sign the long term contract on Chabahar.