ShareINDEE3 Workshop in Kochi Showcases Natural Refrigerant Systems for the Seafood Industry
The INDEE3 project promotes the adoption of natural refrigerants in India while strengthening lifecycle refrigerant management practices. Through demonstration activities, knowledge transfer, and practical guidance, the project supports the wider implementation of natural refrigerant technologies across different sectors. As part of these efforts, IIT Kharagpur organised a technical workshop in Kochi.
The 1-day workshop on Natural Refrigerant-based systems for seafood industry was conducted jointly by IIT Kharagpur and ICAR-CIFT under the INDEE3 project at ICAR-CIFT, Kochi on 3rd July 2026.
Prof. George Ninan, Director, ICAR-CIFT welcomed the participants to the workshop emphasising the importance of developing sustainable refrigeration systems in view of the growing environmental problems all over the world.
The workshop was inaugurated by the Chief Guest, The Honourable Minister for Fisheries, Harbour Engineering and Social Justice, Government of Kerala, Shri V. E. Abdul Gafoor. Mr. Gafoor in his speech highlighted the importance of natural refrigerants in the development of sustainable refrigeration technologies for the fisheries and seafood sector. He hoped that the workshop will pave way for a strong collaboration among all the stake holders.
In his speech, the Guest of Honour, Mr. Alex K. Ninan, Vice President, Indian Seafood Industry, appreciated the initiative taken under the INDEE3 project to promote natural refrigerants in seafood industry.
Dr. Sarun Kumar Kochuni, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway explained the background and objectives of the INDEE3 project.
Around 115 participants attended the workshop, reflecting the strong interest in natural refrigerant technologies and sustainable refrigeration solutions.
Keynote speakers from academia, industry, and end-user organisations shared their perspectives and experiences, making the discussions very engaging. All the participants emphasised the importance of active collaboration to promote the natural refrigerant based systems in seafood industry.
The workshop brought together participants from academia, refrigeration and seafood industry, creating a unique platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration.
A live demonstration of both the subcritical CO₂ refrigeration cycle (Bell Foods) and educational transcritical CO₂ cycle (ICAR-CIFT) was conducted, making the workshop practical and application-oriented rather than purely theoretical.
The event was organized by Indian Institute of technology Kharagpur and ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology in association with Bell Foods Group and Chochin Food Tech Pvt. Ltd.
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The project is funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the Royal Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi.