CII moots cold chain for TN banana supply chain; Trichy pilot location

The feasibility report for setting up integrated cold chain for bananas in Tamil Nadu was released at the first edition of Tamil Nadu Banana Festival, organised by the apex industry body in Chennai on December 24, 2012.

It stated, “It is imperative that a cold chain for banana supply chain be started in the state of Tamil Nadu. A pilot project should be undertaken in one of the high-density immediately, and Tiruchirappalli (Trichy) should be considered a pilot location for this initiative. The public-private partnership (PPP) model can effectively be used for the balance funding and efficient operation.”

The report further stated that an anchor user could be considered to give the minimum guaranteed load factor and stabilise the operations over a long run if it is owned and operated by the government.

A catchment area or a moratorium period for any other competing unit could be provided to ensure that the project succeeds and sufficient produce must be provided, so that it can pass through the chain. Moreover, a detailed study must be done before selecting the location/site to maximise the operational efficiency.

India, with its rich bio–diversity of bananas and plantains, is the largest producer and consumer, with an estimated production of 29.78 million tonnes annually. Within the country, bananas rank first among fruit crops in production and third in area, after mangoes and the citrus group. Bananas were tenth in importance in terms of value of production in the year 2009. Food and Agriculture Organisation estimated it to be $3.736 billion.

“Tamil Nadu accounts for around 25 per cent of India’s banana production and has one of the largest numbers of varieties being produced in the country. Only 0.2 per cent of exports happen for commodities like banana. However, the government of Tamil Nadu is taking initiatives to make these cold storage commodities most viable and sold to the benefit of the farmers,” said Santhosh Babu, commissioner, Commissionerate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Government of Tamil Nadu, in his special address during the inaugural session of the festival.

Salil Singhal, co-chairman, CII National Agriculture Council and chairman and managing director, PI Industries Ltd, said “Twenty-five to thirty per cent of the output in banana production is lost due to post-harvest process due to lack of awareness about the benefits of the technology to be evolved for maximum growth and profit. Cold chain for banana and supply chain has to be part of each other for quality production. India needs an aggressive approach to increase trade in fruit and vegetables.”

Addressing the gathering, R Dinesh, chairman, CII Tamil Nadu State Council and joint managing director, TVS & Sons Ltd, said, “There are certain persistent challenges hampering the growth of the sector, and these are challenges for food and nutritional security, challenges in environmental sustainability of agriculture, and challenges in generating economic growth and value addition.”

“The foremost area of concern in the agriculture sector is the lack of proper infrastructure like pack houses, cold chain, related equipment, etc. Poor handling and transportation are adding to massive losses of about 30-40 per cent, corresponding to a value of thousands of crores of rupees annually. However collaborative focussed efforts in terms of developing post-harvest infrastructure. Growing awareness of bananas’ nutritional and medicinal values will help in building the brand of these indigenous banana varieties,” he added.

Delivering the theme address of the session, Purushothaman Ravichandran, chairman, CII Tamil Nadu Banana Festival 2012 and senior director, Danfoss Industries Ltd, said, “The main objective of this event is to ensure global leadership for Tamil Nadu in terms of banana production and supply chain. This event will be the first step to promote and popularise different varieties of bananas from Tamil Nadu. It will also enable the creation of a strong brand equity for bananas grown in Tamil Nadu as Tamil Nadu bananas with specific focus on these domestic or indigenous varieties, and enable the creation of supply chain and cold storage facilities for the crop in the state.”

Delivering the welcome address, B Thiagarajan, convenor, Agriculture and Food Processing Panel, CII Tamil Nadu, and president, Blue Star Ltd, said, “There is a rapid growth in terms of engagement in this sector, we have produced various reports, studies, conducted various seminars in order to increase the awareness among the industry bodies and farmers. However, FDI in multi-brand retail will take this sector into great heights and give a new dimension to the sector.

Issues
Over 30 exhibitors representing banana growers, farm equipment manufacturers and cold chain companies are participating in the festival. Around 2,500 farmers from across Tamil Nadu are also participating in the two-day festival. Over 20 varieties of bananas are being showcased at the exhibition.