Shortage of containers is making it tough for Indian exporters to complete scheduled shipments despite sharp a rise in export orders, according to the Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (TEXPROCIL), which recently said in a statement that exporters are facing shortage of containers not only at the gateway ports but also at the inland container depots.

It takes more than two weeks for exporters to get the containers for shipments of cargos and that is resulting in delays and non-fulfilment of terms and conditions as agreed with overseas buyers, TEXPROCIL chairman Manoj Patodia told a news agency.

Many exporters are holding export orders for shipments till March 31 next year, and the delay in shipments in many cases are leading to cancellation of orders.

If the issue is not resolved on a priority basis, exporters of textiles and clothing may lose business by an estimated 20 per cent, Patodia added.