India’s major ports handled 82.84 million tonnes (MT) of cargo in January 2026, marking a year-on-year growth of 7.56 per cent, according to the latest infrastructure performance report by the Ministry of Statistics, Planning and Implementation (MoSPI).
The data shows continued momentum in port activity, with cargo traffic at major ports reflecting steady expansion in trade and logistics movement.
During the April 2025 to January 2026 period, total cargo handled at the country’s 13 major ports reached 755.84 MT, registering a cumulative growth of 8.15 per cent compared with the same period in the previous financial year.
“As reported by Ministry of Shipping, there are 13 major ports in the Country handling 82.84 Million Tonnes (MT) cargo during January 2026 which was 7.56 per cent higher than the cargo handled during the corresponding month of the previous year,” the report said.
The growth rate represents a significant improvement over the 3.10 per cent growth recorded during April 2024 to January 2025, indicating stronger throughput and higher cargo volumes across key ports.
The report notes that the increase in cargo handling has been driven by growth across major commodity segments, including containers, petroleum products and bulk cargo.
Container traffic recorded expansion, with handling rising 9.19 per cent during January 2026 and 10.28 per cent during the April-January period, reflecting increased trade volumes and higher port efficiency.
Handling of petroleum, oil and lubricants (POL) crude cargo also recorded growth of 2.46 per cent in January and 7.67 per cent during the cumulative period, indicating steady demand for energy imports.
Coal handling at major ports showed marginal change during January 2026 but recorded cumulative growth of 3.78 per cent during April-January.
Among individual ports, Kandla, Paradip, Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT), Visakhapatnam and Mumbai emerged as the top five ports in terms of cargo handled during the April-January period.
In terms of coal handling, Paradip, Kamarajar (Ennore), Haldia, Kandla and Visakhapatnam were the leading ports.
India currently has 13 major ports, which together play a critical role in handling the country’s maritime trade and supporting industrial supply chains.
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