The Fourth International Summit-cum-Exhibition on Food Processing, Agri-business and Cold Chain, organised by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) and supported by the ministry of food processing industries (MoFPI), Government of India, at New Delhi's Hotel Le Meridien on November 5, 2012, was attended by over 250 delegates from India and France.
The delegates gathered to discuss possibilities and opportunities in the fields of food processing and cold chains. The event was inaugurated by Rajkumar Dhoot, president, Assocham. Sanjeev Chopra, joint secretary (food), ministry of agriculture, was present.
Among the other dignitaries at the inaugural session were Harshal Surange, associate consultant, ACR Project Consultants Pvt. Ltd, and Gerald Cavalier, CEO, Cemafroid, a French company that provides independent expertise on cold chain. The theme of the talk was 'Development of cold chains in India.'
They identified several challenges faced by cold chain developers in India. The main ones being the lack of quality road network in most parts of the country; high rate of land; inadequate quantity and poor quality of water; excessive use of pesticides; high initial project cost, and lack of training of manpower.
Other roadblocks include the lack of availability of trained personnel for plant operation; lack of awareness about maintenance, hygiene and safety of food; and an agricultural supply chain that is not upto the mark when compared to developed countries. Also wastages are high, and profits are low.
Chopra said, “India is developing its own cold chains. We are coming up with many ideas and trying to bring about awareness on setting up cold chains.” M L Arora, a representative of the ice cream industry, said, “The replacement of physical business with the electronic one is the need of the hour. India's ice cream industry is worth about Rs 5,000 crore, of which half is organised.”
About Rs 50 crore have been allocated by the government for setting up mega food parks, and a similar amount has to be raised by the companies. One of the main issues faced by the industry is the fact that the middlemen are siphoning off the amount earmarked for the setting up of infrastructure.
Among the others are the lack of availability of refrigerated vehicles; extreme temperatures during the summer months (which cause products like ice cream to melt in transit); high cost of electricity; lack of skilled manpower, and lack of availability of specialised transportation.
