Focus on India’s cold chain capability in Assocham report

India needs to shift its focus from merely expanding cold-storage capacity to improving integration, utilization and end-to-end connectivity across the cold chain, according to a new Assocham-ASCELA Knowledge Report released at the Assocham Cold Chain and Warehousing Summit in New Delhi.

The report, titled “Unlocking the Next Phase of India’s Cold Chain,” estimates India’s annual post-harvest losses at nearly US$ 18.5 billion and highlights significant opportunities to expand the use of organized cold-chain solutions. Currently, only around 4% of perishables are estimated to move through organized cold-chain networks.

India had 8,815 cold-storage facilities with a combined capacity of 40.22 million tons as of June 2025, providing a substantial foundation for the country’s growing cold-chain ecosystem. However, the report projects cold-storage capacity to reach 43.7 million tonnes by 2031, representing a CAGR of just 2.2%, and calls for greater emphasis on multi-temperature and multi-product capabilities, utilisation and seamless connectivity rather than capacity expansion alone.

Speaking as chief guest at the summit, themed ‘Building Ecosystem for Viksit Bharat,’ Sukanta Kumar Panigrahi, member of Parliament and member of the parliamentary standing committee on agriculture, animal husbandry and food processing, government of India, said, “India produces enough. Now, India must preserve enough.”

He said effective cold-chain management was ultimately about preserving the value of agricultural produce and strengthening farmer incomes.

“A fruit harvested today has a biological clock. Milk collected from a farmer has a quality clock. Fish landed at the harbor has an even faster clock. If we manage time and temperature well, we preserve value. If we fail, we lose food, income and resources,” Panigrahi said.

“Cold chain is not about keeping products cold. It is about keeping value alive. So, a strong cold chain is not merely a logistics asset, it is a stronger income chain for the farmer. Because the ultimate return on investment is not the capacity we build, it is the value we preserve,” he added.

He called for stronger linkages between farms and markets, farmers and consumers, production and processing, and India and global markets, while urging a shift from fragmented logistics to integrated supply chains.

Delivering the welcome address, Saandip Wadhwa, chairman, National Council on Logistics and Warehousing, Assocham, and group director, JM Baxi Group, said warehousing and cold chain had evolved beyond support infrastructure to become strategic enablers of economic growth, food security, farmer incomes, exports and industrial competitiveness.

“India has made significant progress in expanding its physical infrastructure. However, the next phase of growth must focus not merely on creating more capacity, but on creating connectivity,” he said.

In the theme address, Sanjay Bajpai, industry veteran and advisor, National Council on Logistics and Warehousing, Assocham, and former executive director, CONCOR, said supply chains were increasingly becoming “trust chains”, with standardization, quality preservation and resilience emerging as critical factors in connecting businesses with markets.

Delivering the industry address, Mata Prasad, DGM – ABU and GSS, State Bank of India, said cold-chain infrastructure offered an opportunity to integrate agriculture, food processing and logistics with appropriate financing solutions. He said SBI could support investments across the value chain, including cold-storage construction, plant and machinery and working capital requirements.

Speaking as guest of honor, Devendra Kumar Dhodawat, former additional chief secretary to the governor of Kerala and member, Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority (WDRA), said India was among the world’s leading agricultural producers. He noted that food-grain production reached about 358 million tonnes in 2024-25, while horticulture production stood at about 371 million tonnes.

He urged industry leaders to prioritise the expansion of integrated, efficient and sustainable cold-chain infrastructure as India works towards the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

Also speaking as guest of honor, Amrit Lal Meena, former chief secretary, government of Bihar, and former special secretary (logistics), DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, called for greater coordination between industry associations and state governments in planning industrial townships, warehousing facilities and multimodal logistics parks at the intersection of trunk infrastructure, railways and highways.

The inaugural session also featured the release of the Assocham-ASCELA Knowledge Report, presented by Nivesh Chaudhary, co-founder and managing director, ASCELA.

The summit featured three thematic panel discussions covering future-ready warehousing and cold-chain infrastructure, sustainable cold chains and green warehousing for global markets, and multimodal logistics and seamless supply-chain connectivity.

The event featured a special address by Ajit Kumar Panda, chairman and managing director, CONCOR.

The summit concluded with a vote of thanks by Saurabh Sanyal, secretary general, Assocham, who emphazised the role of cold chain, warehousing and multimodal logistics in making Indian supply chains more competitive, resilient and globally integrated. He also called for practical and actionable recommendations to strengthen the sector.