Finance Ministry Report Pushes For Upgraded Port Infrastructure For Export Cargo

A finance ministry report on Friday made a case for improving gate infrastructure including IT systems, scanning facilities, temperature-controlled facilities for perishable export cargo across ports.

Also, post-clearance logistics processes need to be improved to achieve faster release time and streamlined movement of cargo.

Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman released the fifth edition of National Time Release Study, a performance measurement tool that provides a quantitative assessment of the time taken for cargo release.

The NTRS 2025 is the fifth national-level edition of this annual study, conducted using a standardised methodology. It covers 62,981 Bills of Entry for imports and 69,533 Shipping Bills for exports filed during the first week of January 2025.

The study spans 15 major customs formations, grouped under four categories — Seaports, Inland Container Depots, Integrated Check Posts, and Air Cargo Complexes — which together account for a significant share of the total BoEs and shipping bills filed across India.

In the import segment, the study said Average Release Time (ART) declined between 2023 and 2025 across seaports (about 6 hours), ACCs (about 5 hours), and ICPs (about 18 hours), while ICDs saw an increase of around 12 hours.

Performance against NTFAP 3 targets showed that 93.33% of import cargo at ICPs met the 48-hour target, followed by air cargo complexes (55.03% within 24 hours), seaports (51.76%), and ICDs (43.7%).

Export cargo analysis, from arrival to final departure, revealed varied patterns across port categories. Regulatory clearance (arrival to Let Export Order) was fastest at air cargo complexes (under 4 hours) and ICPs (06:10 hours), according to NTRS.

At seaports, regulatory clearance averaged 29:36 hours, with post-LEO logistics extending to 157:50 hours. At ICDs, regulatory clearance of exports took 30 hours, with improvement in post-LEO logistics time to 99:51 hours.

On facilitating export cargo, the study has made several recommendations, including for reduction of manual documentation processes at port gates and minimising instances of delays in duty payment.

"In terms of infrastructure, there is scope for enhanced gate infrastructure (including IT systems), scanning facilities, temperature-controlled facilities for perishable cargo, etc across ports," the study said.

Post-clearance logistics processes need to be improved to achieve faster release time and streamlined movement of cargo, it suggested.

Regarding imports, the study said post-clearance delays, especially at ICDs, continue to impact overall efficiency, highlighting the need for targeted procedural and operational improvements.

The ministry said a key strength of India’s Time Release Study lies in its use of accurate and reliable data sourced directly from the Customs Automated System, operated by the Directorate General of Systems and Data Management, CBIC.

Over the years, the scope of TRS has significantly expanded. What began as a report measuring release time across select gateway ports went on to include other areas of considerable importance such as transit cargo, courier shipments, and commodity-specific assessments, it said.