Chandigarh, November 26, 2014: With post-harvest losses of food grains mounting to 20 million tonne, food loss of this scale would be sufficient to feed the hunger of one-third of the country's poor.

Chandigarh is known for its robust cold chain sector with more than 559 cold storages with a capacity of around 1,939,979 MT, but what has gone amiss is the use of outdated technology, which ultimately impacts end users due to high production, processing and storage costs. Energy efficient technologies can help reduce costs throughout the entire food supply chain and increase energy savings.

Danfoss India participated at the just concluded CII Agro-Tech 2014, India's premier biennial agro technology & business fair that took place between 22nd November and 24th November. Danfoss India, a global player in climate and energy solutions, showcased sustainable technologies in the refrigeration and power solutions space which will help Chandigarh save energy using through energy efficient technologies that find application in Farm-to-Fork process like such as FC 360 automation drive, Optyma Slim Pack condensing unit, Electronic Controllers, Industrial Refrigeration Valves and line components. The company even went on to win the best stall displayed Award at the event.

By offering solutions in different parts of the supply chain from farm to fork including packaging, processing and transport, Danfoss reached out to stakeholders in Chandigarh involved in this process through its participation in this exhibition. Elaborating on this, Mr. Ravichandran Purushothaman, President, Danfoss India, said, "With food losses exceeding Rs. 40,000 crores and the FICCI prediction of an exponential rise in food demand over the coming years, India should battle food inflation worries by streamlining the entire farm-to-fork model with energy efficient technologies that use optimal amounts of energy thereby reducing costs for farmers and consumers. There is scope for improvement in Chandigarh as its high time stakeholders shift to technologies that consume optimum energy. Agro-Tech provides serves as the ideal platform to reach out to our stakeholders and educate them about sustainable solutions in the form to fork channel."

This is the 11th edition of the Expo organised by Confederation of Indian Industries to encourage technology display, awareness creation and agri-commerce, which witnessed participation from all stakeholders in the farming scenario in Punjab and Chandigarh including technologists, scientists, industries, institutions and farmers. This year's edition focused on growth of the agriculture and food processing sectors.

Cold storage of 5000 MT capacity requires a capital expenditure of Rs 10 to 12 crores including land. This can require an annual operating expenditure of Rs 1 crore. In a normal cold store 10 to 15% of the annual expenditure is on electricity costs. Through appropriate energy efficient technology we can reduce the electricity cost by 30%.

It is understood that around 70% of cold storage facilities in Chandigarh utilise only outdated technology. This makes it imperative for more investments to be made in new technologies for cold storages in Chandigarh. With CII estimating that the total food production of India is all set double in the next ten years, there is an opportunity for large investments in updated cold chain, food and food processing technologies to meet future demand.