Frozen parathas to spices, MP’s food exports hit hard as war disrupts trade

Indore:Few would know that frozen parathas made in Madhya Pradesh routinely travel thousands of kilometres to stock supermarket shelves in the Gulf. That journey has now been disrupted, with shipments stalling, orders getting cancelled and new orders drying up as war-led logistics bottlenecks hit perishable exports from the state.Exporters of ready-to-eat food items, frozen vegetables, fruits and other perishables from Madhya Pradesh said orders from Gulf markets have either been cancelled or put on hold amid the ongoing West Asia conflict. Being highly dependent on uninterrupted cold-chain logistics, these products are among the worst hit.Transit times have increased sharply due to rerouting of vessels, affecting delivery commitments and eroding buyer confidence. Exporters said shipments that earlier took around 10 to 15 days are now taking up to 40 days, making it extremely difficult to sustain perishable exports.Shipping routes via the Red Sea and Gulf region have been disrupted, pushing freight and insurance costs sharply higher and squeezing margins."Frozen products like parathas, peas and mixed vegetables cannot withstand delays. My exports to the Middle East have almost come to a halt. Orders are being cancelled and even earlier consignments are now under dispute due to sudden cost escalations," said Indore-based exporter Hitesh Patidar."The entire supply chain has been disturbed. Dubai used to be the main hub for redistribution across the region, but now even that is affected. My containers carrying spices are stuck and there is no clarity on delivery timelines," said Krishna Mandowra, who ships around 400 containers annually and has seen volumes drop by nearly 70 per cent.Madhya Pradesh has built a strong export base in processed foods, supplying ready-to-eat items, grains, pulses, frozen vegetables and fruits to markets such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.