Shri Minhaj Alam, Additional Secretary, Ministry of food processing, inaugurates the Post Harvest & Logistics Summit
Delivering the Keynote address at the Post Harvest & Logistics Summit organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in New Delhi on 21st March 2025, Shri Minhaj Alam, Additional Secretary, Ministry of food processing, highlighted the role of smart and sustainable cold chains to transform current agrifood system mentioned “In the era of growing global trade, building cold chain is no longer an option , it has become a necessity.”
Sharing his insights, Dr. Srikant Nagulapalli , Additional Secretary, Ministry of Power and Director General, Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), highlighted the need for smart and sustainable cold chain practices to reduce energy consumption and strengthen supply chain resilience, mentioning, “As we expand our cold chain infrastructure, it’s vital to integrate energy-efficient solutions—from labelling programs to passive design guidelines—ensuring sustainability grows alongside the sector”.
Speaking on the occasion, H.E. Mr Rasmus Abildgaard Kristensen, Ambassador Royal Danish Embassy, focused on “With its rich Agri-diversity, India has the potential to lead global exports—if we tackle food waste and cooling emissions together. Collaborative, climate-smart cold chain solutions are key to building a sustainable and resilient agrifood economy.”
Highlighting the industry’s evolving landscape, Mr P. Ravichandran, Chairman, CII, National Committee on Cold Chain; and President, Danfoss Industries Private Limited said, “The future of the cold chain lies in smart, sustainable solutions like advanced refrigeration, AI, and blockchain, which are transforming cold chains into resilient, climate-friendly systems”.
Underscoring the critical role of cold chain advancements, Mr B Thiagarajan, Managing Director, Blue Star Limited stated “A timely reminder that the cold chain is not just infrastructure— it is a strategic enabler of sustainable agri-food systems.”
As a part of the CII PHL Summit 2025, the CII Decarbonization Playbook for cold storage was officially released during the inaugural session. The playbook serves as a comprehensive guide for the industry stakeholders to adopt sustainable practices for reducing the carbon footprints of cold storage operations.
CII FACE has also organized the 8th CII Cold Chain Award 2024 Ceremony to recognize role models and felicitate the best in class of outstanding performance in post-harvest supply chain solutions and provide a framework for continual improvement.
Gracing the occasion, Dr. Ashok Dalwai, Former Chief Executive Officer of the National Rainfed Area Authority and Chairman of the Committee for Doubling Farmers’ Income, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, virtually congratulated the winners by commending their efforts towards building a robust and sustainable cold chain ecosystem and mentioned “The Ministry of Agriculture is building a world-class digital public infrastructure, which will also strengthen the cold chain by reducing post-harvest losses through better coordination across the supply chain”.
In the Integrated Supply Chain Solutions (Animal Agriculture) category, Allana sons Pvt Ltd and JAPFA Comfeed India Pvt Ltd was honoured for its exceptional performance. Coldrush Logistics Pvt Ltd claimed the award for Outstanding Performance in Cold Storage, and Ecozen Solutions Pvt Ltd was recognized for its innovation in Cold Chain Innovations. The awards celebrated industry leaders driving excellence and efficiency in post-harvest management and logistics.
Other well-deserving applicant units nominated by the Jury were awarded Certificates of Significant Achievements for their appreciable efforts in Post Harvest & Logistics. FIL Industries Pvt Ltd received the certificate of Significant Achievement in Integrated Supply Chain Solutions in Horticulture and TCI Cold Chain Solutions Ltd received the certificate of Significant Achievement in Cold Chain in Third Party Logistics.
Bringing the inaugural session to a close, Mr. Pankaj Mehta, Co-Chairman, CII National Committee on Cold Chain, and Managing Director, Carrier Transicold, India & South Asia, reiterated the need for industry collaboration and adoption of cutting-edge technologies to build a more resilient cold chain network by stating “Strengthening India’s cold chain is not just about reducing food loss—it’s about securing food and energy sustainability in the face of climate challenges. By embracing innovation, energy efficiency, and green refrigerants, we can create a low-carbon cold chain that safeguards both our farmers' livelihoods and the nation’s food security.”
The summit also featured two insightful sessions addressing key challenges and innovations in the cold chain sector. Session I: Sustainable Last-Mile Innovations in Cold Chain for E-Commerce & Quick Commerce showcased cutting-edge refrigeration, renewable energy-powered reefer systems, and advanced packaging solutions, tackling issues of energy efficiency, food waste reduction, and sustainable last-mile delivery for the growing e-commerce and quick commerce markets. Session II: Moving Towards Carbon-Neutral Cold Chain: Strategies for Transitioning to Net Zero Emissions focused on actionable strategies for decarbonizing cold chains, with experts presenting real-world case studies on green energy integration, sustainable cooling technologies, and policy-driven initiatives aimed at building a low-carbon cold chain ecosystem.
The Summit and the Awards ceremony brought together industry experts, government officials, global development bodies, academia, the scientific community, and regulators to discuss best practices, emerging trends, and technologies in the global post-harvest and logistics in Agri-food system.
21 March 2025
New Delhi