India is one of the world’s largest producers of fruits, vegetables, seafood, and meat but has access to only 60% of this produce. So, a strong cold-chain solution has become the need of the hour said Raja M Sriram, Chairman of REFCOLD India 2023.

Participating as a Chief Guest for the curtain raiser event in Visakhapatnam here on Wednesday for the 6th edition of REFCOLD INDIA, 2023, South Asia’s premier refrigeration and cold chain exhibition, slated to be held from 12th to 14th of October 2023 at the Chennai Trade Centre, Chennai, Raja M Sriram said we are placing significant emphasis on addressing the urgent challenge of food waste by way of improved refrigeration and cold chain practices, and it will be one of the focus areas of REFCOLD.

Another sector that pushed the industry to grow faster has been the organized food delivery and e-commerce segment which has now become a major growth driver for the cold-chain industry in India said Mr. Sriram and added that innovations have always been a part of any industrial growth and the advent of the pandemic showed the serious need of revamping the cold chain for vaccines to reach the remotest parts of the country.

UCM Patnaik, President of the Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ISHARE)- Visakhapatnam Chapter said REFCOLD INDIA is an initiative of ISHARE, dedicated to the Refrigeration & Cold Chain Industry and is a potential place for convergence of industry stakeholders, showcasing the latest technologies and solutions available in India and around the world.

Burra Madhu, the past President of ISHARE said Cold Chain management has become an integral part of the supply chain industry comprising refrigerated storage and refrigerated transportation.

The Indian Cold Chain Industry is termed as “Sunrise Sector” due to its growing indispensability and potential witnessing tremendous growth over the years due to the shift in focus from increasing production to better storage of commodities to reduce wastage of agricultural produce and other perishable products.

Convenor of REFCOLD India 2023 V Sridhar said by bringing all the stakeholders under one roof, we will conduct technical workshops, panel discussions, and knowledge-sharing programmes. It will also provide a platform for the global investment community to connect with stakeholders in the Refrigeration and cold Chain sector in India. 

Stating further Mr. Sridhar said the Government of India and National Centre for Cold-Chain Development (NCCD) have put a lot of support mechanisms in the cold-chain infrastructure development.

This opportunity can indeed transform the nation. The development of end-to-end solutions is now supported and the industry is moving towards greater efficiency.