New Delhi: “Cold Chain – New Horizons”, a panel discussion comprising international and national experts was recently held in the national capital to set new horizons at the forthcoming, REFCOLD INDIA 2018, India’s first international exhibition and conference on cold chain, industrial refrigeration and reefer transportation being organised by the Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ISHRAE) along with NurenbergMesse India on November 22-24 in Ahmedabad.
“The panel discussion was organised to bring the government and industry under one roof to discuss how REFCOLD India can be the knowledge sharing platform where ideas and technology will be exchanged for upliftment of the society by developing refrigeration industry and reducing the food wastage,” said Pankaj Dharkar, Chairman of REFCOLD INDIA.
Gyanesh Bharti, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, was the chief guest and the panellists included Pawanexh Kohli , Chief Advisor, National Centre for Cold Chain Development (NCCD), Dr. R K Sharma, Former Director, National Horticulture Board of India, Mukesh Agarwal, Vice President, Cold Storage Federation of India, Dr. R.S. Agarwal, IIT Professor, Manav Suri, Vice President, Suri Agrofresh, Bhairavi Jani, Executive Drirector, SCA Group and Chairperson, IEF, Vijay Khandwekar, Heading Solar Division for TATA International, Klaus Kienzler, Studio Head Design Service at Hyatt India Consultancy Private Limited and Kapil Singhal, Director, B. P. Refcool.
REFCOLD INDIA 2018 will cover all the sections of the refrigeration and cold chain industry and bring all the stakeholders together under one roof. It will also provide a platform to global investment community to connect with stakeholders in refrigeration and cold chain sector in India.
In global terms also, the cold-chain Industry in India is developing at a much faster pace, owing to the general change in the business outlook. While earlier, the focus at all times would be on increasing the production level, the market now is concerned about optimisations in terms of better storage and transportation facilities for their respective commodities. Hence, cold chain management has now become an integral part of the supply chain industry comprising of refrigerated storage and refrigerated transportation.
This makes it essential for all businesses to invest in infrastructure that should help reduce wastage. With this promise and prospect, the cold chain industry in India is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 19 percent during the period of 2017-2022.
“As a country, India is much ready for a consortium of this level which shall be the launch-pad for potential business-enabling collaborations, as well as the live resource pool and aggregation of Cold Chain products, services and solutions. I am absolutely convinced that REFCOLD INDIA in November 2018 will be a greatly successful show that would leave a mark on the refrigeration and cold chain market in India,” said C Subramaniam, ISHRAE National President.
Also present at the event, Sonia Prashar, Chairperson of the Board and Managing Director of NuernbergMesse India Pvt. Ltd. said “There would be representation and participation from all possible arteries of the industry. We are anticipating a great response across the food industry, trading and distribution sectors, transportation lines, storage companies, shipping and ports, pharamaceuticals, hospitality, horticulture departments and the whole range of researchers and innovators. We strive to achieve this and mark a successful debut as we collaborate efforts with regards to planning, implementation, marketing and value creation for our exhibitors and visitors alike.”
Some key facts about the Indian Edge:
· Second largest arable land in the world
· Largest producer of milk and second largest producer of fruits and vegetables
· Largest livestock population
· Rising consumption expenditure
· Strategic geographic location in terms of exporting processed foods
· Favourable government policies to boost the cold chain industry
· The state’s focus to increase the export produces and reduces wastage
(ANI)