BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 24. Participating countries of the North-South International Transport Corridor (ITC) are assessing the benefits of a possible connection of this route with Africa by sea, starting from the Volga River, the Astrakhan Region's Deputy Minister of Industry, Trade, and Energy Mikhail Kabakov said, Trend reports.
“The markets of African countries with large populations and huge economic needs are interesting for exporters. Besides, Africa has opportunities to supply its goods, which allows for an increase in transportation. The prospect of ships calling ports in the east of the African continent and including them in the North-South ITC is being analyzed,” Kabakov said.
It is expedient to transport grain, food, and construction goods from Russian ports along the North-South ITC waterway.
Two branches of the ITC go through Iran, with one (railroad) crossing Azerbaijan and the other crossing Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
Meanwhile, earlier this week, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin noted that cargo traffic along the North-South ITC could double to 30 million tons by 2025 and to 35 million tons by 2030.
To note, cargo turnover at the checkpoints of the North-South ITC in 2023 increased by 18 percent against the level of 2022, with a doubling in maritime transport.
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