India's National Centre For Cold Chain Development Forms Committee On Supply Chain & Logistics

Online, August 2, 2012 (Newswire.com) - The Indian government recently launched the National Centre for Cold Chain Development, with the intention to create an autonomous nodal and guiding agency to serve the interests of its fledging cold chain sector. As a body, the NCCD is to recommend policy interventions, take on capacity building and skill development initiatives, recommend standards and certifications and basically act as guide & mentor to the cold chain industry. A tall task indeed, seeing the past track record of this wanting trade in India.

Unique to its formation, and a first for India, is the formation of a committee on Supply Chain & Logistics (focusing on Agri-produce area). It seems that for once, the government of India is recognising that the cold chain requires supply chain intervention and development as its primary focal point. Chairing this committee is the star of India's cold chain industry, Capt. Pawanexh Kohli. He was awarded cold chain personality of India and none have been able to take that mantle off him to date. Of course, his expertise and experience stems from decades spent in the reefer food trade in foreign lands, his longest service record being with the world's largest in the sector, Dole Food company.

It will indeed be with interest that the world will look on, to observe and possibly participate in future developments in India's cold chain. The cold chain takes on special importance in the second largest populated country in the world, which reportedly looses anything between 30 to 40% of its agricultural produce to poor handling and distribution within its food supply chain. The country was so far promoting the development of storage infrastructure for food items. With the birth of a specialised supply chain committee, we hope to see fresh strategy being developed on using such development in action serving as links in the overall supply chain activity.