India To Assess Cold Chain Storage Needs
The Indian Government has proposed a study to measure the country’s cold chain storage requirements for imported and domestic agricultural goods
India’s ministries of Agriculture and Food Processing have decided to embark upon a study that will calculate the total amount of cold chain storage needed for the country. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Minister for Food Processing Industries, places a big emphasis on the proposed research’s gauge on space needed to properly handle and store the country’s food supply. Badal met with Radha Mohan Singh, Union Minister for Agriculture, last week in New Delhi to consider measures to promote India’s food processing industry through on-going collaboration between the two ministries.
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The study hopes to create a district-wide, national food map of India where the total amount of agricultural products produced in the country and the total amount of cold storage required per region would be assessed against existing capacity. The gap in current versus required cold storage needs would be filled by implementing a program that will create additional facilities in India’s cold-chain infrastructure. Results of the research should be available in early 2015.
According to Singh, the Food Processing Ministry will evaluate the required funding needed to create additional cold-chain storage space within the fiscal year. Singh assures that funds will be given to create additional cold-chain capacity and, if needed, will find additional funding for other initiatives of the Ministry of Food Processing by shifting some financial resources over from the Agriculture Ministry. Badal announced a Cabinet Note for cold-chain storage of 500,000 tons will be transferred soon. Singh says his ministry will support this move so wasting food, such as fruits and vegetables, could be reduced and profits are not lost for the country’s farmers.
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Badal is combatting the issue of having a minimum of 50 acres set aside for the creation of food parks, which would complete agro-processing duties as well as handling cold-chain storage. She believes the total land required for these parks should not exceed 25 acres, opposed to the proposed 50. However, Badal states that these facilities could meet energy requirements through the use of alternative sources, like solar panels.