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India is undergoing a revolution in temperature-controlled logistics, driven by demand for safe storage, timely delivery, and preservation of quality across a wide range of products, especially those that are perishable or temperature-sensitive. This comprehensive look at India’s cold chain in 2025 reveals major advancements, persistent deficiencies, and the pathway to building a more efficient, inclusive, and sustainable system for cold storage and transportation across India.
1. The Evolution of Cold Chain Infrastructure in India
India’s cold chain began with simple cold storage solutions focused on potatoes in the northern belt, including Uttar Pradesh. Lacking warehouse infrastructure and refrigeration support, post-harvest losses were common, especially for perishable goods.
However, between 2000 and 2010, retail modernisation led to expansion in urban areas like Mumbai, Bangalore, and Chennai. The government further accelerated the sector from 2010 onwards through strategic schemes that supported integrated cold storage systems, enabling controlled storage of goods far beyond just agriculture.
By 2025, cold chain infrastructure in India will include not just cold storage rooms but also temperature-controlled warehouses and storage facilities catering to sectors like dairy, seafood, pharmaceuticals, and frozen food.
2. Current Snapshot: Cold Storage Infrastructure Capacity and Gaps in 2025
India’s cold chain now includes a cold storage capacity of 38.5 million tonnes. Despite this progress, utilisation rates are at 70–75%, indicating that existing storage facilities are nearly full.
However, regions like Central and East India have vast shortfalls in storage capacity. For instance, Central India has only 2 million tonnes of installed capacity against a requirement of 7 million tonnes by 2035, necessitating urgent investments in cold storage and warehouse facilities.
Key Infrastructure Gaps in India’s Cold Chain
India’s growing demand for perishables needs a stronger cold chain. However, there are four key infrastructure gaps:
- Advanced high-throughput cold storage: India lacks modern facilities that can handle large volumes, particularly in high-consumption urban zones.
- Integrated pack-houses: Essential for first-mile processing (pre-cooling, cleaning, grading), especially near farm-gates, but severely underdeveloped.
- Reefer trucks: The backbone of cold logistics is still limited, leading to spoilage during intercity transport.
- Ripening chambers: Controlled environments for fruits like bananas and mangoes are either missing or inadequate in most regions.
For India to meet its future cold chain needs, critical investments in climate-controlled storage facilities across the country are non-negotiable.
3. Core Components of a Functional Cold Chain Ecosystem
When fully developed, a cold chain includes multiple coordinated systems to maintain temperature control from farm to fork:
- Pack-houses: Located near farms; enable pre-cooling, cleaning, grading—vital for improving product shelf life.
- Cold storage units: Maintain the right temperature ranges for various categories, frozen, chilled, or ambient.
- Refrigerated transport (Reefers): Critical for moving goods between cities, ports, and warehouses while preserving quality.
- Ripening chambers and cold rooms: Ensure safe and uniform ripening for fruits, without harmful chemicals.
In major cities like Hyderabad, Pune, and Delhi NCR, companies are adopting customised cold storage systems to improve storage and distribution efficiency. These include features like real-time IoT monitoring, ASRS systems, and energy-saving insulation to maintain the precise temperature within cold storage units.
4. Technology Transforming Cold Storage and Warehousing
Technology is redefining temperature-controlled storage solutions in India:
- Internet of Things (IoT) for real-time data on humidity and refrigeration units.
- Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (ASRS) to optimise warehouse space, increase the throughput of the facility, and reduce manual intervention.
- Blockchain and GPS to ensure traceability from the point of origin to end users.
- Solar refrigeration units that insulate rural warehouses, improving energy efficiency and access.
These improvements support specialised storage of pharmaceutical and food products, helping maintain a specific temperature range even in remote or off-grid regions.
5. India’s Cold Chain in Global Trade and Export Logistics
India’s cold chain performance directly affects exports of perishable goods. In 2025:
- Pharmaceuticals are leading with $35B in exports to the USA, EU, and Japan.
- Seafood brings in $9.3B across the EU and Southeast Asia.
- Fruits and vegetables total $4B, primarily to the Middle East and North America.
Temperature-sensitive goods such as biologics and vaccines demand strict climate-controlled logistics. Facilities in Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Chennai are acting as international gateways with integrated cold storage logistics that comply with global standards.
Backed by the central warehousing corporation and private logistics companies, these hubs offer storage services that protect finished goods, improve transit conditions, and ensure a safe and secure cold chain.
6. Government Support and Regulatory Framework
India’s policy support has catalysed transformation in the sector:
- Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY) provides subsidies for storage units and reefer fleets, supporting cold storage expansion.
- The Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) offers loans for rural storage space upgrades.
- The India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) drives the adoption of energy-efficient and ozone-safe cooling systems.
These measures are helping storage and transportation networks become compliant, climate-resilient, and scalable.
7. Operational and Infrastructure Challenges
While progress is notable, challenges persist:
- High logistics costs—13–14% of GDP—hinder competitiveness.
- Fragmented industry structure limits standardisation in warehouse operations and temperature-controlled logistics.
- Poor infrastructure leads to cold chain breaks, particularly during first-mile pickup from farms.
- Frequent power cuts affect refrigeration efficiency and climate-controlled storage stability.
- Skilled labour for managing cold rooms or temperature-controlled warehouses is still insufficient across India.
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8. Sustainability and the Path Ahead
India is shifting to green cold storage systems:
- Solar panels now power storage facilities in low-electricity zones.
- Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) and eco-friendly refrigerants are being used to modernise refrigeration systems and improve their energy efficiency.
- Software-driven analytics improve storage management, ensuring better spoilage prediction and route optimisation.
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By 2035, the target is to make 70% of cold chain facilities energy-efficient. This aligns with global climate goals while providing affoDistributed and controlled warehouses are being prioritised over centralised dependency.
- AI systems are predicting demand surges and helping safeguard supply chain continuity.
- Integrated shipment monitoring tools are making cold chain disruptions easier to manage.
By 2035, the target is to make 70% of cold chain facilities energy-efficient. This aligns with global climate goals while providing affordable services for India’s domestic market.
9. Resilience and Risk Management
COVID-19 was a stress test for India’s cold chain. To increase system resilience:
These actions intend to reduce cold chain disruption costs by 30% during future crises.
10. Financing and Investment Outlook
India will need ₹50,000 crore in funding by 2030 to bridge cold chain infrastructure gaps. Multiple models are driving this transformation:
- PPP models promote public-private collaboration, enabling large-scale deployment.
- Green bonds fund energy-efficient upgrades, particularly in underdeveloped regions.
- Specialised funds are supporting storage solution startups in Central and East India.
- Private developers and investors are now focusing on tech-first, scalable cold storage models, with players like Godwitt leading design-led warehousing solutions that blend sustainability with automation.
Though margins remain thin due to route density issues, these investments are essential for building a resilient, future-ready cold chain network.
11. Consumer Demands Fueling Growth
Changing consumer behaviour is pushing demand for climate-controlled storage:
- Frozen food and ready meals in urban markets drive demand for temperature-controlled storage.
- Organic products and biologics require customised cold storage with traceability and compliant systems.
- E-commerce platforms now require integrated last-mile solutions for perishable items.
Cold chain services now offer one-stop storage and transportation solutions to deliver peace of mind to both businesses and consumers looking for secure storage of temperature-sensitive goods.
12. Benchmarking India’s Cold Chain Against Global Standards
Despite improvements, India trails global leaders:
India must deepen multimodal integration and invest in more compliant, energy-efficient storage to be globally competitive.
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13. Conclusion: Building the Future of Cold Chain in India
India’s cold chain progress is undeniable. From basic cold storage rooms to integrated, temperature-controlled warehouse solutions, the transformation is massive. But for the nation to truly scale its capabilities, it must:
- Expand affordable, customised cold storage across all regions.
- Improve infrastructure and skilled labour availability.
- Ensure adoption of clean and energy-efficient technologies.
Whether you are transporting pharmaceutical products, food and beverages, or other temperature-sensitive goods, India’s cold chain ecosystem must become future-ready to support economic growth and public health.
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