Cold Chain Infrastructure
India's Gap
A cold chain is an unbroken temperature-controlled supply chain from the point of harvest to the point of consumption. In India, inadequate cold storage capacity, poor reefer transport connectivity, and lack of pre-cooling at farm level are primary drivers of post-harvest losses for perishables.
- India's cold storage capacity is heavily skewed toward potatoes (~75% of installed capacity), leaving fruits, vegetables, and dairy underserved.
- PM Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana) — approved in 2017 with a total allocation of ₹6,000 crore, continued till March 2026 with ₹4,600 crore — funds integrated cold chain and value addition infrastructure.
- SAMPADA = Scheme for Agro-Marine Processing and Development of Agro-Processing Clusters.
- The scheme has approved 353 cold chain projects and 41 Mega Food Parks, leveraging investment of ₹11,095 crore and benefiting approximately 28.5 lakh farmers while generating 5.44 lakh direct/indirect jobs.
- The Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition Infrastructure scheme (operational since 2008) provides financial assistance of up to ₹10 crore per project.
- Cold storage capacities supported range from 5,000 MT to 20,000 MT per facility.
● Tracked since March 08, 2026 · last seen June 27, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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