Manipur stares at supply crisis as freight operators abandon highway routes

Imphal: Manipur is once again staring at the prospect of shortages of essential commodities as transport operators from outside the state are increasingly refusing to send freight trucks into Manipur, citing mounting operational costs, endless delays and growing uncertainty on the state’s two lifeline national highways.

For thousands of families already battered by more than three years of ethnic conflict, the consequences are beginning to be felt in kitchens, markets and construction sites. Prices are climbing steadily, supplies are becoming erratic, and traders warn that if the situation persists through the monsoon, shortages of essential goods may soon become unavoidable.

The emerging transport crisis threatens to further weaken an economy that has struggled to recover since ethnic violence erupted on 3 May 2023, disrupting trade, industry and normal economic activity across the state.

For a landlocked state that depends almost entirely on road transport for the supply of food grains, vegetables, construction materials, petroleum products, medicines and other essentials, the deteriorating highway situation is beginning to affect not only the availability of goods but also their affordability.

At the heart of the crisis is a simple commercial reality: transporting goods to Manipur is no longer economically viable.

Before the conflict, a freight truck operating between Guwahati and Imphal could complete a round trip in three to four days, allowing transporters to make eight to ten trips every month.

Today, that same truck takes anywhere between 25 and 30 days to complete a single round trip.

The dramatic increase in travel time has slashed the earning capacity of transporters while sharply increasing fuel consumption, maintenance costs, driver wages and other operating expenses.

“Transporters simply do not find it economically viable to send their vehicles to Manipur anymore,” said Nahakpam Shanta, an essential commodities wholesale distributor.

“Earlier, a truck could make eight to ten trips between Guwahati and Imphal every month. Now it struggles to complete even one trip. The overhead costs continue to rise while earnings continue to fall. No transporter wants to operate at a loss,” he said.

The crisis stems largely from the continued disruption of National Highway-2, the traditional Imphal-Dimapur route connecting Manipur with the rest of the country.

Recurring blockades arising from competing demands by different groups have forced most freight vehicles to divert through National Highway-37, the Imphal-Jiribam route. But NH-37 has proved to be an unreliable alternative.

Large stretches of the highway are currently undergoing widening and upgrading works, leaving damaged road surfaces, severe bottlenecks and long traffic delays.

According to Shanta, loaded trucks now require 11 to 15 days—and in some cases up to 30 days—just to complete the Guwahati-Imphal-Guwahati journey through NH-37.

The security situation has added another layer of difficulty.

Commercial vehicles travelling on NH-37 are allowed to move only as part of security convoys. While the convoy system provides protection, traders say it has also become a major logistical bottleneck.

Only two or three convoys operate each day, with no convoy movement on Sundays. As a result, hundreds of freight trucks remain stranded for days near the Assam-Manipur border at Jiribam while waiting for clearance.

Traders estimate that between 2,000 and 5,000 loaded trucks are often waiting at different points along the route for convoy movement.

For trucks carrying vegetables, fruits and other perishable goods, every additional day on the highway translates into financial loss.

According to traders, spoilage of perishable commodities can reach 60 to 70 per cent in some consignments before they even reach the market.

Transporters are also facing difficulties on the Khatkhati-Jessami-Ukhrul-Imphal route. Heavy multi-axle trucks are reportedly not allowed on portions of the highway, forcing traders to unload consignments and transfer them to smaller six-wheel trucks, adding further costs and delays.

The increasing transportation costs are now being passed directly to consumers.

According to traders, freight charges for essential commodities transported through NH-37 have increased from around Rs 5.60 per kg before the conflict to about Rs 8.50 per kg. Transportation costs for potatoes alone have risen from Rs 5 per kg to Rs 7.50 per kg.

For a 25-tonne truck, transport expenditure has reportedly increased from about Rs 1.25 lakh before the conflict to nearly Rs 1.88 lakh.

Building materials have become significantly more expensive as well. Freight charges for cement and steel have increased from around Rs 1,350 per tonne to nearly Rs 2,000 per tonne, with transporters often demanding additional payments to compensate for prolonged delays during transit.

The impact is already visible in markets across Imphal.

A survey of retail markets found that onions, which previously sold for Rs 25 to Rs 30 per kg, are now retailing at around Rs 50 per kg.

Potatoes have increased from Rs 20 to Rs 30 per kg, while edible oil has risen from Rs 210 to Rs 240 per litre. Garlic now costs about Rs 280 per kg, up from Rs 230.

Fruit prices have also risen sharply. Apples are selling for Rs 350 to Rs 400 per kg, compared to Rs 200-250 earlier, while a box of grapes now costs around Rs 1,500, up from about Rs 1,000.

Construction materials have witnessed similar increases. Traders said the retail price of popular cement brands has gone up by Rs 80 to Rs 100 per bag, largely because of higher transportation costs.

Wholesale traders warn that if transport bottlenecks continue through the monsoon, the state could begin facing shortages of several essential commodities.

The risks are compounded by the possibility of landslides and further deterioration of NH-37, which remains Manipur’s principal supply corridor.

With security convoys often prioritising petroleum tankers, traders fear fewer trucks carrying vegetables, food items and other commercial goods will be able to enter the state in the coming weeks.

Economists say the situation reflects what is increasingly becoming conflict-induced inflation, where insecurity, transportation costs and logistical uncertainty combine to drive up the prices of everyday goods.

For ordinary households, it means paying more for basic necessities at a time when incomes and purchasing power have already been severely eroded.

For businesses, particularly wholesalers and distributors, shrinking margins and rising operating costs are threatening the viability of trade itself.

Unless uninterrupted movement is restored on Manipur’s national highways and alternative routes are made fully motorable, traders fear the state could soon face not just rising prices but periodic shortages of essential commodities, deepening the economic hardship that has gripped Manipur since the conflict began in May 2023.

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