The cold chain industry in India is growing and will treble the size by 2015. This change is the consequence of rapid changes in consumption patterns of the new and aware consumer and this rise is fuelled by the modern trade, along with the growing food, dairy and pharmaceutical industries in India.

But, India's greatest need is for an effective and economically viable cold chain solution that will totally integrate the supply chain for all commodities from the production centers to the consumption centers, thereby reducing physical waste and loss of value of perishable commodities.

Inaugurating the 5th National Cold Chain Summit 2014, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Minister, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India, said, "Cold chain plays an integral part in the development of our nation. In spite of all the challenges that we have faced, we are the second largest producer of fruit and cereal, third in marine production and have the largest livestock in the world. But in spite of growth in these sectors, the disparity in the growth in the food processing sector is amazing."

The summit, organized by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) jointly with the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and National Centre for Cold Chain Development (NCCD) in the capital today had the theme: Enabling Innovations, Integration and Investments across the Food Value Chain.

Pointing to the fact that in the next 15 years consumption levels are going to treble, the Minister said, "There should be zero tolerance towards waste. Currently, there is Rs 440 billion of wastage and unless we work towards removing that, our growth story cannot be completed. The cold chain capacity of the country is 30 million metric tonne, whereas it produces around 200 million metric tonne of products."

Citing examples of smaller nations like Malaysia, Phillipine and Thailand, the Minister said, "In these smaller nations, food processing is 80-90% compared to India where it's a mere 10%. Our challenge lies in managing the perishables. Figures show that thousands of crores is lost due to wastage. That’s the tip of the iceberg; in reality, the figures are much higher. What we need is a cold chain grid in the country. The ministry is working towards a national food processing policy to bring under one umbrella different stakeholders presently engaged in the development of the food processing sector. Unless we bring down waste, we cannot control inflation."

The Minister also stressed on the need to have a food map in the country. "An investor must have a food map so that he knows where, what and how to procure and the demand for his purchase. Most of the cold chain capacity today is concentrated on three to four states. And out of the entire cold storage capacity, 70% is just for potato. What we need is a scientific approach towards building multi-product cold storage."

Talking about the challenges the industry faces, the Hon’ble Minister said, "The biggest challenge the industry faces is power, without which the cold chain cannot be successful. States need to invest in renewable energy and provide solar energy at subsidized rates."

Speaking on the occasion, Siraj Hussain, Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India, said, "In addition to losses in the food chain, there is a need to reduce losses at consumer level. There is a substantial information gap when it comes to cold storage. We need more studies to assess the exact amount of requirement in the sector."

Laying thrust on online sale of fruits and vegetables, Hussain said, "Online retail stores can be a huge fillip for the cold storage industry. It can not only improve the supply chain but also delivery."