ASSESSING RISK IN COLD CHAIN LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCT

ASSESSING RISK IN COLD CHAIN LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCT

Rahul Ranjan Tiwari

India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables, largest producer of milk and one of the leading producer of meat and fish. Owing to its diverse agro-climatic zones and resources, the production of these commodities not only extends in quantity, but also to a wide variety of them. Despite these merits, India is also one of the leading countries in terms of food loss, even though a sizeable share of the population are suffering from hunger and malnutrition. The farmers in India, even though they are producing the largest quantities of the forementioned agricultural and horticultural produce, their economic situation is not really presenting a happy picture. Compared to developed nations, the Indian agricultural scenario is very complex and so are the reasons leading to this situation. Among all, the important reasons in leading to the high quantities of food loss are poor post-harvest care, highly complex and inefficient supply chains, lack of storage and processing infrastructure.

Cold chain sector is set to play an important role in addressing these problems. Addressing the issue of perishability, Cold chain extends the shelf life and thus usability of the commodity in its best form. Depending on the nature, purpose and the stage where it is employed, the application of cold temperature is divided into Frozen (<-18° C), Chilled (0°C to 10°C), Mild Chilled (10°C to 20°C) and Normal (>20° C) storage. For most of the horticultural produce, cold chain needs to be handled at Chilled and Mild chilled zones, whereas for meat and fish the handling temperature lies between Chilled and Frozen zones