10-15 new cold chain projects to be completed this fiscal: Food Processing Secretary

MUMBAI: As many as 10-15 new cold chain projects are likely to be completed this fiscal in addition to the eight projects which have already been executed, an official said here today.

"We have sanctioned so far 49 projects under the cold-chain scheme, for which we have got the approval. Out of these, eight have already been completed and we expect another 10-15 projects to be completed in this year," Food Processing Secretary Rakesh Kacker said at a summit here.

The scheme is going smoothly and we have received good response from private players, Kacker added.

The total project cost of these 49 projects is Rs 1,072.82 crore out of which Rs 380.41 crore are government grants, and private investments are Rs 691.61 crore, which is targeted at creating an additional cold chain capacity of 2.31 lakh tonnes, 234 reefer vehicles and 34 tonne per hour of individual quick freezing capacity.

The scheme provides for creation of farm proximate infrastructure in the form of minimal processing centers with facilities for weighing, sorting, grading, waxing, cleaning, controlled atmosphere, cold storages, deep freezing, mobile cooling units etc.

Kacker said the Center is now trying to enhance the role of the states in its various schemes. He further said, under the national food mission, the Center will be transferring some of the schemes to the states.

"This allows us to make the schemes more flexible so that states can adjust it to the local environment," he said, adding technology upgrade, skill development and non-horticulture cold chain are some of the schemes which have been proposed to be transferred to the states.