<p style='text-align:justify;'><b>Virtual Conference on The Strategic Perspective on The Cold Chain Industry: Opportunities, Challenges and a Way Forward</b></p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'>ASSOCHAM's Western Region organized a virtual conference on 25 February, 2021.
                  Theme of the webinar was <b> "The Strategic Perspective on The Cold Chain Industry: Opportunities, Challenges and a Way Forward."</b></p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'><b>SPEAKERS AT THE VIRTUAL CONFERENCE</b></p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'><b>Moderator: Shri Dhaval Raval,</b>Chairman, Food Processing Committee,
                  ASSOCHAM Western Council</P>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'><b>Eminent Panelists were</b></p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'><b>Shri Dipak M. Bandekar,</b> Director, Directorate of Industries, Trade and Commerce,
                  Government of Goa</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'><b> Shri Manguirsh Pai Raikar, </b>Chairman, ASSOCHAM Goa State </p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'><b>Shri Rajesh Goyal,</b> President, Federation of Cold Storage Associations of India</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'><b>Shri Kiran Gubba,</b> Director and CEO, Gubba Cold Storage Pvt Ltd</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'><b>Jaya Jha,</b> Manager, MAERSK Lines Limited</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'><b>Dr. Anil N. Fadte,</b> Managing Director, Goa Dairy</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'><b>Smt Usha Ramesh,</b> General Manager, NABARD Regional Office, Goa</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'><b>Shri. Pamarty Venkataramana,</b>
                  International Corporate Lawyer/Business Strategist & Chief, PVR LAWS</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'><b>Shri Pramod Shetgaonkar,</b> Owner, Cold Chain India logistics</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'><b>Shri Swarup Bose,</b> CEO , Celcius Logistics Solutions Pvt Ltd</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'><b>SUMMARY OF VIRTUAL CONFERENCE</b></p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'><b> Shri Dipak M. Bandekar,</b> Director, Directorate of Industries, Trade and Commerce,
                  Government of Goa</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'>• The cold chain industry is seen as an emerging and fast growing business sector in
                  India. Considering the current issue of food shortage and food security in India, cold
                  chain facilities will play an important role in the country. According to Food and
                  Agriculture organization (FAO) of the UN, approximately one third of the food
                  produced for the human consumption, which amounts to 1.3 billion tones, gets lost
                  or wasted.</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'>• However, this sector has witnessed a considerable growth in the last decade and is
                  expected to have further improvement in growth rate in the years to come.</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'>• The role of Ministry of Food Processing Industry, Government of India is instrumental
                  in development of cold chain infrastructure in India and is implementing scheme for
                  its promotion. Other departments such as National Centre for Cold-chain
                  Development (NCCD), NABARD, National Horticulture Board (NHB) and State
                  Governments are also taking initiatives for the development of cold chain industry in
                  India.</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'><b>Shri Manguirsh Pai Raikar,</b> Chairman, ASSOCHAM Goa State Council</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'>• Latest technology used world over in cold chain sector, is making inroads in India.
                  And with the government sanctioning new cold chain projects in the recent past, the
                  demand for more efficient cold storages is going to increase in the future. Hence,
                  with further support from government, new players are going to enter India and a
                  platform is required where these latest know how, equipment s and infra facilities
                  gets noticed and new players are made aware of.</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'>• The industry should play its part in doubling farmer s income by ensuring that the
                  fruit grown by the farmer should reach the end consumer without intermediaries and
                  with the help of a well-established cold chain which will ensure a good price to the
                  farmer. Due to the cooperation of the industry, with the farmers, they have not only
                  created storages and cold transportation but a total solution which not only benefit
                  people from the cold chain but the farmers in getting the better price for their
                  produce.</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'>• The $ 5 Trillion Indian economy will not be brought from the top down but from the
                  bottom up. He said that the second important point to focus on is jobs as GDP of
                  India growing but not similar to the world and we don t want a GDP growth without
                  employment. Cold chain is capable of generating employment for hundreds of
                  people.</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'><b>Shri Rajesh Goyal,</b> President, Federation of Cold Storage Associations of India</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'>• The third part of cold chain which is the export of sea foods from India. India has a
                  huge coastline but the extent of fishing has gone down in recent years. Export of
                  fishing and cold chain will create a value proposition for the fisherman of India which
                  is most important thing.</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'>• We need to act as intermediaries that not only develop cold chain but a total solution
                  to increase the level of income.</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'><b>Shri Kiran Gubba,</b> Director and CEO, Gubba Cold Storage Pvt Ltd</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'>• Cold chain is experiencing a boom in the current India and that many reports have
                  suggested that Indian cold chain market is projected to reach around 2300 billion
                  (INR) at a CAGR of 15.4% during 2019-2023. This growth is due to growing demand
                  of processed foods and strict regulatory checks in cold chain supply and storage
                  domain. The increase in e-commerce has paved a way organized retail contributes
                  significantly in the growth of cold chain market.</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'>• The importance of cold chain agriculture as there are huge post-harvest losses due
                  to inadequate storage and transport facility. It is dire need to make cold chain
                  facilities assessable to the farmers. Cold chain a very fragile industry and has a huge
                  scope of improvement. It is important to understand that cold chain is capital
                  intensive industry and a collaborative approach between the industrial stakeholders
                  along with government bodies that a strong industry and be built and India Growth
                  Story can be derived.</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'><b>Jaya Jha,</b> Manager, MAERSK Lines Limited</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'>• Cold storage is a temporary storage to avoid wastages. Cold Storage is not cold
                  chain but only a part of it which connects the growers to the consumers. The capacity
                  creation today is 88% in storage and only 12% in transportation.</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'>• The gap between the cold storage capacity and the cold transportation facility with
                  the help of relevant data. These storages are mostly for potatoes, chilies and seeds
                  while the other perishables do not have access to it.</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'>• The gap between the requirement of the nation and the available facility. It is
                  necessary to think about a value chain where FPO is the central activity to connect
                  growers to the consumers with cold chain as the underlying infrastructure. It can be
                  this model which can connect the farmers to market, reduce the losses, increase
                  their income and make every player across the value chain benefitted.</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'><b> Dr. Anil N. Fadte,</b> Managing Director, Goa Dairy</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'>• If we are talking about doubling farmer s income we need to focus on different
                  aspects of agriculture and strategically shifting the focus from production approach
                  to income approach.</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'>• Cold chain in agriculture is a crucial part in reducing the post-harvest losses as in
                  case of horticulture and perishable crops it can be more than 50%. The efforts should
                  be made to minimize the losses and incorporating every farmer as a part of
                  agriculture value chain.</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'>• Cold storages won t suffice, there is need of an integrated chain from farm to
                  consumer. Pack- houses at farm level and multi model transportation will play a
                  crucial part in improving the value chain.</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'>• Major challenge in cold chain is sometimes limitation of technology and parts of
                  delivery. There is a need to decentralize cold storages and energy infrastructure.
                  The government will be a part of the whole value chain with the support and
                  participation of the industry.</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'><b>Smt Usha Ramesh,</b> General Manager, NABARD Regional Office, Goa</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'>• The cold chain should be integrated and multi- dimensional, and not focused on just
                  one aspect. Every aspect of the complete cold chained should be focused upon so
                  that they can be discussed in further such conferences. Not just focusing on the postharvest losses but collecting region-wise data of the whole of the country as every
                  region faces different problems and different issues.</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'>• It is important, for the people in the cold chain business, to understand the needs
                  and requirements of different regions, what is being produced there and how it can
                  further utilized.</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'>• The topic for development of cold chain as there was no such innovation before
                  which can safely bring the food from farm to fork without being wasted. 1/3rd of the
                  total produced is wasted and we can prevent these wastages than there is definite
                  chance of increasing the farmer s income. The conference can benefit for the nation
                  as these are the rare chances that the people from industry sit together and have
                  such discussions.</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'><b>Shri. Pamarty Venkataramana, </b>International Corporate Lawyer/Business Strategist
                  & Chief, PVR LAWS</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'>• Cold chain in India started with frozen foods, ice cream, frozen meat and fisheries
                  and it is fully developed for such product but on the other hand F&V is suffering this
                  chain aspect. The reefer trucks which are manufactured are not product centric
                  rather they are multi-product reefer trucks which is not correct. Dedicated
                  transportation for F&V should be developed with a temperature range of 4-10°C so
                  using the same reefer truck for different temperature requirements is expensive and
                  wastage of its capacity.</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'>• The logistics company generate more revenue when they transport ice cream rather
                  than F&V which is why the transportation is not even available to the farmer. Even
                  when it is available the cost is way too much for the farmers.</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'>• The cold chain is a fairly new concept for the farmers. Carrier developed a working
                  and profitable cold chain for a specific commodity and he shared a success story
                  that how Carrier managed to transport the kinnow of Punjab to the southern parts
                  of India, without any wastage, which seemed impossible to the farmers as they were
                  hesitant to use new technology. It even fetched a better price to them.</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'><b>Shri Swarup Bose,</b> CEO , Celcius Logistics Solutions Pvt Ltd</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'>• Cold chain in India started with frozen foods, ice cream, frozen meat and fisheries
                  and it is fully developed for such product but on the other hand F&V is suffering this
                  chain aspect. The reefer trucks which are manufactured are not product centric
                  rather they are multiproduct reefer trucks which is not correct. Dedicated
                  transportation for F&V should be developed with a temperature range of 4-10°C so
                  using the same reefer truck for different temperature requirements is expensive and
                  wastage of its capacity.</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'>• The logistics company generate more revenue when they transport ice cream rather
                  than F&V which is why the transportation is not even available to the farmer. Even
                  when it is available the cost is way too much for the farmers.</p>
                  <p style='text-align:justify;'>• The cold chain is a fairly new concept for the farmers. Carrier developed a working
                  and profitable cold chain for a specific commodity and he shared a success story
                  that how Carrier managed to transport the kinnow of Punjab to the southern parts
                  of India, without any wastage, which seemed impossible to the farmers as they were
                  hesitant to use new technology. It even fetched a better price to them.</p>