Markets and figures: India - cold storage shortage

A recent report by KPMG and the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) points out the massive shortfall in cold storage facilities for India's agricultural produce by more than 10 million tons: only about 21.7 million tons of such facilities are available against the requirement of over 31 million tons, resulting in 40% of agricultural produce being lost post-harvesting. This ratio is in line with the average ratio (40%) assessed for developing countries in the IIR's recent IIR Informatory Note on Worldwide Nutrition (www.iifiir.org). The report emphasizes that cold storage facilities now available are mostly for single commodity produce including potatoes, oranges, apples, grapes, pomegranates and flowers, which results in poor capacity utilization and stresses the need for setting up operating cold chain facilities for other specific products.