In recent years India’s domestic cold chain industry has undergone both consolidation as well as expansion of capacity (as with companies like Gati, Devbhumi, MJ Logistics and Crystal). There has also been an increase in the presence of international companies in India’s cold chain industry such as Kuhne-Nagel and Gateway Distriparks.
These changes have been accompanied by an increase in diversity of product type, facility type and distribution area. Historically 90% of India’s cold storage facilities were potato specific and heavily concentrated in UP and West Bengal regions. However during the last year and a half, the portion of cold stores specific to potatoes has decreased to 50%, with many multi commodity cold stores being proposed in India’s production belt areas, including Himanchal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. Distribution routes have now also expanded and increased in the Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Himanchal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir areas.
The Indian government has also undertaken several measures to promote improvement and expansion of the Indian cold chain as well. During the last year and a half, the National Horticulture Board (NHB) has issued 120 Letters of Intent and is currently processing 100 more. As part of an NHB initiative, a climate controlled horticulture train is being developed. The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) has also sanctioned 49 cold chain projects that work to diversify India’s cold chain product range to include dart, meat, fish and produce as part of the “Scheme for Cold Chain, Value Addition and Preservation Infrastructure.” MoFPI has also sanctioned an additional 30 projects under the Mega Food Parks Scheme, which each have a built in cold chain component as well.
