Revenues of Indian road logistics industry likely to grow by moderate 6-9% in FY25: ICRA
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Credit rating agency ICRA in its latest report has said that the revenues of the Indian road logistics industry are likely to grow by a moderate 6-9% YoY in FY25. Following some disruption in business activities during Q1 amidst the General Elections, the sector prepares for the much-awaited seasonally strong festive period. It said an increase in manufacturing output amidst restocking and an uptick in consumer spending and e-commerce activities augur well for logistics demand. This, coupled with a favourable monsoon and the government’s continued thrust on capital formation, is likely to support revenue growth. ICRA maintains a ‘Stable’ outlook for the sector, fuelled by various Government measures and policies in favour of the sector and the expectation of a stable demand outlook from varied segments like e-commerce, FMCG, retail, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and industrial goods.
ICRA foresees organised players to maintain the pricing premium amid an overall inflationary cost scenario and shall support operating profitability in FY25. Nevertheless, it would remain range-bound and trail the peak levels seen in FY23. The debt coverage metrics are expected to remain comfortable in FY25, despite some anticipated increase in debt levels due to capex for new vehicles, coupled with the rise in lease liabilities due to expanding branch network and technology investments. ICRA projects the interest coverage and total debt/ OPBITDA in the range of 7.0x-8.0x and 1.4x-1.7x, respectively, in FY25 compared to 7.6x and 1.6x in FY24.
It said the e-way monthly volumes have grown steadily over the years and remained largely stable in the last four months at above 100 million, with August 2024 reporting all-time high volumes of 105 million, signifying resilient domestic trade and transportation activities. The monthly FASTag volumes have also moved in tandem with the e-way bills, ranging from 295 to 350 million in FY24 and in the current fiscal, with an all-time peak of 348 million in December 2023, reflecting business continuity
