Publication:
Unlocking the Potential of Freight Logistics in India

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Files in English
English PDF (288.54 KB)
669 downloads
English Text (9.58 KB)
35 downloads
Date
2016-12
ISSN
Published
2016-12
Editor(s)
Abstract
New, comprehensive analysis of data on the current routing of goods in India have positioned the country to break through its freight transport gridlocks and logistics inefficiencies. With a growth rate of more than 7 percent since 2014, India is the fastest growing major economy in the world. But as a share of its GDP, its logistics costs for moving freight are as high as 14 percentpercent of GDP, markedly more than the 8–10 percent for most advanced economies. The gap arises from excess costs generated by inefficiencies in the transport system, greater costs of storage and inventory and procedural delays. Closing that gap would give a major boost to India’s growth prospects. Studies of logistics improvements in advanced economies have shown that, with sufficiently detailed data on freight flows, targeted interventions in specific corridors andsubsectors can enable transformational changes in freight logistics performance. Researchersand logistics experts from the World Bank and South Africa’s Stellenbosch University have assembled and modeled such data for India, identifying bottlenecks and opportunities for morestrategic investment and collocation of activities to achieve production synergies and lower thecosts of logistics and trade.
Link to Data Set
Citation
Aritua, Bernard. 2016. Unlocking the Potential of Freight Logistics in India. Connections;Note 2016 - 10. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/26361 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.
Associated URLs
Associated content
Report Series
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Publication
    Unlocking India's Logistics Potential
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2018-02) Havenga, Jan; Aritua, Bernard; Simpson, Zane; Chiew, Esther Woon Lyn
    India is one of the fastest growing major economies. However, at 14 percent of gross domestic product, its logistics costs are high relative to the 8 to 10 percent that is typical of most advanced economies. High logistics costs and poor logistics performance impact the competitiveness of the economy on multiple levels: (1) firms deliver less competitive goods and services; (2) consumers pay more than peers for goods; and (3) the cost of achieving improvements in gross domestic product is excessive. The development of a national transport and logistics network to facilitate competitiveness and sustainable development and uplift rural regions will play an increasingly important role in shaping spatial organization in emerging economies. An element that is absent, yet critically important for national logistics issues in emerging economies, is sufficiently detailed freight-flow analysis to facilitate targeted infrastructure investments and enable transformational change to improve national logistics performance. This paper presents the results of a disaggregated macroscopic freight demand analysis developed for India through a hybrid approach, calibrating the modeled input-output matrix and resulting freight flows with data where available. Data was obtained from multiple sources, such as agricultural statistics, national enterprise surveys, a financial performance database of Indian companies, population statistics, and transportation statistics from rail, inland waterways transport, highways, and ports. The model provides evidence for decision making on several levels. Aggregating freight flows enables planners to identify gaps in critical infrastructure and logistics chains. Disaggregated flows support decisions on the location of logistics clusters, maximizing the potential of multimodal transport systems, and designing the distribution and storage networks that underpin the economy.
  • Publication
    The Rail Freight Challenge for Emerging Economies
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2019) Aritua, Bernard
    Moving more freight by rail and waterways would reduce greenhouse gas emissions, truck-induced congestion, and noise pollution and contribute to the integrated logistics that are now a hallmark of global supply chains. The timing for the shift is right, because many emerging economies are making significant investments in railways and shippers are responding to public sentiment to reduce the negative impacts of road-related logistics. In the past, most railway organizations adopted a “build and they shall come” approach, modeled on the proposition that lower rail transportation costs would inevitably lead to modal shift. That approach is no longer viable. Successful railways now focus on understanding the logistics of targeted freight and positioning rail transport services as part of an overall logistics system aimed at meeting customers’ needs. By responding to new trends in logistics and partnering with road haulers, port operators, forwarders, intermodal terminal operators, and third-party logistics companies to provide the seamless service delivery required by changing supply chains, rail freight organizations in Europe and North America have regained modal share or reversed a trend of falling shares. Emerging economies can learn from their experience. The Rail Freight Challenge for Emerging Economies presents examples and lessons of good (and not-so-good) practice. It summarizes what successful rail freight organizations have done to increase market share and provides options for policy makers. The report is intended not to prescribe solutions but to inform decisions and broaden the discussion of options open to policy makers and senior officials in rail organizations in their country contexts.
  • Publication
    Review of Logistics Service Regulations for Freight Forwarding Businesses
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-08) Watanuki, Maika
    Regulatory frameworks on logistics regulations are often opaque, especially in developing countries, because of the complex nature of logistics services. World Bank client countries have faced difficulty finding the issues that hinder them from improving logistics competence. Therefore, it is beneficial to understand how the logistics service industry is regulated and what should be addressed in building the regulatory framework to improve logistics competence. This note proposes questions to be addressed for beneficial regulations by reviewing existing logistics service regulations in 14 countries, particularly regulations for the freight forwarding industry. These questions will help in assessing a regulatory framework and identifying regulatory weaknesses. This note suggests that the regulatory framework should take into consideration national recognition of freight forwarding business, an institutional arrangement with clear division of responsibility among stakeholders, and streamlined but flexible regulations adapted to the country context.
  • Publication
    Connecting to Compete 2012 : Trade Logistics in the Global Economy
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2012) Mustra, Monica Alina; Arvis, Jean-François; Ojala, Lauri; Shepherd, Ben; Saslavsky, Daniel
    This is the third edition of connecting to compete: trade logistics in the global economy. At its heart is the Logistics Performance Index (LPI), which the World Bank has produced every two years since 2007. The LPI measures on-the-ground trade logistics performance this year, in 155 countries helping national leaders, key policymakers, and private sector traders understand the challenges they and their trading partners face in reducing logistical barriers to international commerce. Logistics, organizing the movement of goods over time and space, has evolved from its 19th century military roots to today's international supply chains. As the backbone of international trade, logistics encompasses freight transportation, warehousing, border clearance, payment systems, and many other functions. These functions are performed mostly by private service providers for private traders and owners of goods, but logistics is also important for the public policies of national governments and regional and international organizations. The LPI provides a simple, global benchmark to measure logistics performance, filling gaps in datasets by providing systematic, cross-country comparisons. A joint venture of the World Bank, logistics service providers, and academics, the LPI is built around a survey of logistics professionals. By asking freight forwarders to rate countries on key logistics issues such as customs clearance efficiency, infrastructure quality, and the ability to track cargo it captures a broad set of elements that affect perceptions of the efficiency of trade logistics in practice.
  • Publication
    Decarbonizing the Freight and Logistics Sector
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-11) Dumitrescu, Anca; Humphreys, Richard Martin
    Freight and logistics are essential for economic and social development and are projected to grow significantly, but prevailing practices are unsustainable. This discussion paper explores the initiatives being adopted, implemented, and proposed in each of the three subsectors in a logistical chain, the maritime subsector, the interurban freight and logistics subsector, and the urban freight and logistics subsector. The paper describes the initiatives, and more importantly, how they may need to be adapted and financed to achieve the decarbonization of the freight and logistics sector, while meeting the needs, opportunities, constraints, and the broader climate change-related and development challenges of least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing states (SIDS). This report provides an overview of the main technical issues, commencing with the maritime subsector, then the interurban subsector, and finally the urban subsector. The report will highlight some of the interventions needed, and where possible the required policy actions and financial implications, with the final section proposing some final thoughts about the way forward and summarizing key recommendations.

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

  • Publication
    Argentina Country Climate and Development Report
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-11) World Bank Group
    The Argentina Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) explores opportunities and identifies trade-offs for aligning Argentina’s growth and poverty reduction policies with its commitments on, and its ability to withstand, climate change. It assesses how the country can: reduce its vulnerability to climate shocks through targeted public and private investments and adequation of social protection. The report also shows how Argentina can seize the benefits of a global decarbonization path to sustain a more robust economic growth through further development of Argentina’s potential for renewable energy, energy efficiency actions, the lithium value chain, as well as climate-smart agriculture (and land use) options. Given Argentina’s context, this CCDR focuses on win-win policies and investments, which have large co-benefits or can contribute to raising the country’s growth while helping to adapt the economy, also considering how human capital actions can accompany a just transition.
  • Publication
    Lebanon Economic Monitor, Fall 2022
    (Washington, DC, 2022-11) World Bank
    The economy continues to contract, albeit at a somewhat slower pace. Public finances improved in 2021, but only because spending collapsed faster than revenue generation. Testament to the continued atrophy of Lebanon’s economy, the Lebanese Pound continues to depreciate sharply. The sharp deterioration in the currency continues to drive surging inflation, in triple digits since July 2020, impacting the poor and vulnerable the most. An unprecedented institutional vacuum will likely further delay any agreement on crisis resolution and much needed reforms; this includes prior actions as part of the April 2022 International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff-level agreement (SLA). Divergent views among key stakeholders on how to distribute the financial losses remains the main bottleneck for reaching an agreement on a comprehensive reform agenda. Lebanon needs to urgently adopt a domestic, equitable, and comprehensive solution that is predicated on: (i) addressing upfront the balance sheet impairments, (ii) restoring liquidity, and (iii) adhering to sound global practices of bail-in solutions based on a hierarchy of creditors (starting with banks’ shareholders) that protects small depositors.
  • Publication
    The Journey Ahead
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-31) Bossavie, Laurent; Garrote Sánchez, Daniel; Makovec, Mattia
    The Journey Ahead: Supporting Successful Migration in Europe and Central Asia provides an in-depth analysis of international migration in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) and the implications for policy making. By identifying challenges and opportunities associated with migration in the region, it aims to inform a more nuanced, evidencebased debate on the costs and benefits of cross-border mobility. Using data-driven insights and new analysis, the report shows that migration has been an engine of prosperity and has helped address some of ECA’s demographic and socioeconomic disparities. Yet, migration’s full economic potential remains untapped. The report identifies multiple barriers keeping migration from achieving its full potential. Crucially, it argues that policies in both origin and destination countries can help maximize the development impacts of migration and effectively manage the economic, social, and political costs. Drawing from a wide range of literature, country experiences, and novel analysis, The Journey Ahead presents actionable policy options to enhance the benefits of migration for destination and origin countries and migrants themselves. Some measures can be taken unilaterally by countries, whereas others require close bilateral or regional coordination. The recommendations are tailored to different types of migration— forced displacement as well as high-skilled and low-skilled economic migration—and from the perspectives of both sending and receiving countries. This report serves as a comprehensive resource for governments, development partners, and other stakeholders throughout Europe and Central Asia, where the richness and diversity of migration experiences provide valuable insights for policy makers in other regions of the world.
  • Publication
    Classroom Assessment to Support Foundational Literacy
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-03-21) Luna-Bazaldua, Diego; Levin, Victoria; Liberman, Julia; Gala, Priyal Mukesh
    This document focuses primarily on how classroom assessment activities can measure students’ literacy skills as they progress along a learning trajectory towards reading fluently and with comprehension by the end of primary school grades. The document addresses considerations regarding the design and implementation of early grade reading classroom assessment, provides examples of assessment activities from a variety of countries and contexts, and discusses the importance of incorporating classroom assessment practices into teacher training and professional development opportunities for teachers. The structure of the document is as follows. The first section presents definitions and addresses basic questions on classroom assessment. Section 2 covers the intersection between assessment and early grade reading by discussing how learning assessment can measure early grade reading skills following the reading learning trajectory. Section 3 compares some of the most common early grade literacy assessment tools with respect to the early grade reading skills and developmental phases. Section 4 of the document addresses teacher training considerations in developing, scoring, and using early grade reading assessment. Additional issues in assessing reading skills in the classroom and using assessment results to improve teaching and learning are reviewed in section 5. Throughout the document, country cases are presented to demonstrate how assessment activities can be implemented in the classroom in different contexts.
  • Publication
    World Development Report 2006
    (Washington, DC, 2005) World Bank
    This year’s Word Development Report (WDR), the twenty-eighth, looks at the role of equity in the development process. It defines equity in terms of two basic principles. The first is equal opportunities: that a person’s chances in life should be determined by his or her talents and efforts, rather than by pre-determined circumstances such as race, gender, social or family background. The second principle is the avoidance of extreme deprivation in outcomes, particularly in health, education and consumption levels. This principle thus includes the objective of poverty reduction. The report’s main message is that, in the long run, the pursuit of equity and the pursuit of economic prosperity are complementary. In addition to detailed chapters exploring these and related issues, the Report contains selected data from the World Development Indicators 2005‹an appendix of economic and social data for over 200 countries. This Report offers practical insights for policymakers, executives, scholars, and all those with an interest in economic development.