Plan shipments by marking the major Indian festivals, the financial year end in March and the monsoon on your calendar, then booking production and vessel space early with a few weeks of slack around those dates. Ask each supplier for their holiday dates in writing.
A shipment that misses a vessel just before a long holiday can lose two weeks or more, once factory closures, trucking and the next sailing are added together.
Festival dates follow the lunar calendar and move each year, so check the exact dates for your year and your supplier's state.
Periods to watch
- Diwali, usually in October or November. Many factories in Gujarat close for several days, and some workers go home for longer, so output can stay low for a week or two after.
- Uttarayan in mid January, a major festival in Gujarat.
- Holi, usually in March, and the end of the Indian financial year on 31 March, when many businesses rush to close shipments and accounts.
- Eid and other festivals, depending on the region and workforce.
- Monsoon, roughly June to September, when heavy rain can slow trucking and loading, and cyclones can close ports on the Gujarat coast for some days.
- Christmas and New Year at destination, and Chinese New Year, which affects vessel schedules and container supply across Asia.
Harvest timing adds pressure
Arrivals of cumin, fennel, coriander and psyllium peak around March and April, which overlaps with the financial year end. Processors are busy buying and cleaning new crop, and some delay export orders. Our guide to the Indian spice harvest calendar shows the main windows.
Port congestion
Congestion can come from a surge in volume, bad weather, equipment shortages or problems elsewhere in the network. When it happens, vessels skip ports or roll cargo to the next sailing. Ask your forwarder for current dwell times at Mundra, Pipavav or Nhava Sheva, and see whether Gujarat goods can ship from Nhava Sheva if one port is crowded.
Practical planning
- Place orders for pre-festival shipment well ahead, so goods are packed before the factory closes.
- Book vessel space early in busy periods.
- Put the latest shipment date in the contract with a realistic margin, and agree what happens if it is missed.
- Keep safety stock to cover a delay of a few weeks.
- Confirm that export documents and certificates can be issued before offices close for the holiday.
- Ask for weekly status updates in the month before shipment.
How we help
We follow production on the ground, confirm each processor's holiday plans and warn you early if a date is at risk. If a shipment slips, see what to do if a supplier misses the shipment date, or ask for a free sourcing review.