Severe shortage of sea containers leaves global food supply chain ‘high and dry’ March 02, 2021 Tonnes of perishables lying uncleared in India due to shipment delay The severe shortage of sea containers – both dry and reefer – has affected the global food supply chain, leaving tonnes of perishables such as onions, meat products and millets lying uncleared in India due to the delay in shipment. Imbalance in containers As a result, people in Thailand are unable to get maize and chilly on time from Chennai, Malaysians and Indonesians are facing shortage of rose onions, and the Japanese are waiting for shrimps from the city. These are just a few examples of how the imbalance in containers is having an impact on the food chain. The imbalance started mid-last year with a number of export containers from China stuck at various ports in the US. Further, there was huge congestion at all major global ports, and slots for container storage were unavailable. This forced ships to be at the anchorage for many days, leading to delays in delivery of cargo.