Bhubaneswar: APICOL in association with ASSOCHAM, hosted the Cold Storage Conclave & Buyer–Seller Meet 2025, here on Saturday,
The event was inaugurated by the Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo. The inaugural session also witnessed the distribution of approval letters to cold storage beneficiaries.
Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo said, “The state government is committed to creating an enabling ecosystem for investment, innovation and inclusive growth in agriculture and allied sectors. Emphasising sustainability, he announced that the government has set an ambitious target to establish cold storage units in 58 sub-divisions by FY 2029–30, with a proposed budget outlay of Rs 252 crore.”
Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Agriculture Principal Secretary, underlined the state’s transition towards market-led agriculture. He noted that Odisha has been a rice-surplus state for the last 16–17 years, supplying rice to over 12 states, and produced nearly 15 million tonnes of food grains along with an equal volume of horticultural produce in the last agricultural year.
Highlighting policy reforms, he said the government has drafted a comprehensive yet concise cold storage policy with attractive incentives to strengthen the ecosystem and attract private investment. With over 15 proposals already received and multiple investors setting up units, he reiterated the government’s stand that it will act as a facilitator rather than an operator, inviting private players to lead the sector. He also stressed the need for ancillary industries, energy efficiency and integration of agri-marketing with production to reduce post-harvest losses and enhance farmer incomes.
The Director of Horticulture, Kalunge Gorakh Waman, pointed out how the horticulture sector in Odisha is entering a pivotal phase through its visionary Cold Storage Policy by strengthening its post-harvest management ecosystem by building a reliable cold storage and logistics network.
Dr Prabodh Mohanty, Chairman, ASSOCHAM Odisha and MD, SNM Group, said that as Odisha expands production, the next growth leap will come from modernising post-harvest logistics and processing. He emphasised the need for integrated cold storage solutions with pre-cooling, digital quality tracking, grading, sorting and access to organised buyers, noting that market predictability and long-term procurement commitments are key to attracting private capital.
Shubhranshu Mishra, Managing Director, APICOL, and Ms. Geetashree Parhi, Additional Director, Directorate of Horticulture, also spoke on the occasion.
