Opportunity brief · India · Integrated cold chain
Integrated cold-chain projects in India: where the documented gap is, and what is actually open
India's official cold-chain gap study (NCCD, 2015) found the shortfall mainly outside bulk cold stores: about 69,831 more pack-houses with pre-coolers, 52,826 reefer vehicles and 8,319 ripening chambers. MoFPI's Integrated Cold Chain scheme funds these links with a 35–50% grant capped at Rs 10 crore, but its last project call closed on 8 August 2025. On 25 October 2026 ColdMatch found no open call: this page describes infrastructure need, not a live tender.
Sources checked 25 October 2026. Each figure keeps its source date. Scheme terms and calls change; confirm the current notice with the ministry or board before planning around a grant.
ColdMatch is the buyer-side industrial refrigeration and cold-chain procurement platform of Global B2B Group. It is not a government agency, subsidy consultant, approved supplier, contractor or bidding agent, and it does not apply for grants. Buyers with a defined project of USD 250,000 or more submit one RFQ; the ColdMatch team reviews it, contacts suitable refrigeration and equipment suppliers on the buyer's behalf and presents organized responses.
Where the documented gap is: six project types
Each row is a type of infrastructure need taken from the official study or scheme documents — not a named project, tender or buyer. Status was checked on 25 October 2026.
| Project type | Documented need (source, date) | Commodities, region and design basis | Funding or call status (25 Oct 2026) and what to confirm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farm-gate pack-houses with pre-coolers and dispatch rooms | NCCD 2015: 70,080 required, 249 created, gap 69,831 units. The 2015 PIB release says each pack-house should have a pre-cooler and a dispatch room | Fruit and vegetables in the study (apple, grapes, orange, kiwi, strawberry, mango, banana, papaya, okra, cauliflower, cabbage, tomato, carrot, potato, onion), sized to supply nine sample cities: Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Guwahati. Design basis: Study total: 11,21,274 MT holding capacity across 70,080 units. Products grouped as frozen, chill, mild-chill and normal; set points follow each crop's handling protocol, not one value | MoFPI grant 35% (50% in North-East, Himalayan, ITDP areas and islands), cap Rs 10 crore: last project EoI closed 8 Aug 2025. NHB post-harvest subsidy: scheme guideline, application window not checked. To confirm: Site, crops, daily peak intake, pre-cooling method and target cooling time; who operates the pack-house |
| Reefer vehicles for farm-to-city transport | NCCD 2015: 61,826 required, 9,000 created, gap 52,826 vehicles | Same fruit and vegetable flows to urban consumption centres. Design basis: Study total: 4,94,608 MT holding capacity across 61,826 vehicles; body size, temperature class and route length are per project | MoFPI covers transport infrastructure at 35% / 50%: last project EoI closed 8 Aug 2025. NHB lists reefer vans under post-harvest management. To confirm: Routes, round-trip times, payload, temperature classes, ownership or lease model |
| Ripening chambers near consumption centres | NCCD 2015: 9,131 required, 812 created, gap 8,319 chambers | Climacteric fruit in the study such as banana, mango and papaya, near city markets. Design basis: Study total: 91,306 MT holding capacity; ripening gas, temperature and humidity control are product-specific | MoFPI includes ripening chambers at 35% / 50%: last project EoI closed 8 Aug 2025. To confirm: Throughput per day, ripening cycle, number of rooms, gas handling and safety |
| Multi-temperature distribution hubs | NCCD 2015: 9,36,251 MT of hub cold storage required (chilled, mild-chilled and frozen). Created capacity was not split into hub and bulk stores | Mixed produce, dairy and processed foods for city distribution. Design basis: Size by daily throughput and dispatch peaks, not by annual averages; holding can be as short as a day (NCCD) | MoFPI storage infrastructure at 35% / 50% when part of an integrated chain: last project EoI closed 8 Aug 2025. To confirm: Zone schedule, door and dock traffic, operator and service model |
| Bulk cold-store modernization and multi-commodity conversion | NCCD 2015: 3,41,64,411 MT bulk storage required against 3,18,23,700 MT created (March 2014), a combined bulk and hub gap of 32,76,962 MT — or about 8.25 million MT if only the 26.85 million MT then operational is counted. PIB (28 Sep 2025): 8,815 cold storages with 40.21 million MT | Long-term holding crops in the study such as potato, dried chillies and apple; often single-crop stores. Design basis: New bulk capacity is not the main documented gap; retrofits target energy, controls, insulation and the ability to hold more than one crop | NHB capital investment subsidy: 35% (50% North-East, hilly and scheduled areas) for stores above 5,000 MT up to 10,000 MT, credit-linked, in-principle approval required. Application window not checked. To confirm: Survey of the existing plant, refrigerant, insulation, power and the crops to be added |
| Blast freezing, IQF and frozen storage integral to processing | NCCD 2015 notes ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat lines need factory-gate blast freezing and IQF. MoFPI funds frozen storage and deep freezers integral to processing | Processed fruit, vegetable and other processed foods at the processing site. Design basis: Freezing capacity in kg/h, product entry and exit temperatures, and frozen-store holding temperature are per product | MoFPI value-addition and processing grant 50% (75% in North-East, Himalayan, ITDP areas and islands), cap Rs 10 crore: last project EoI closed 8 Aug 2025. To confirm: Product mix, freezing time, packaging, frozen store size, hygiene zoning |
ColdMatch summarises these sources; it did not verify projects, operators or capacities on the ground. The 2015 study sizes need against 2014-15 consumption, so treat the figures as a documented starting point, not current demand.
Funding and call status, checked 25 October 2026
A scheme page, an approved-project list or a closed call is not a live opportunity. Only a notice with an open deadline and a reference number is open.
| Instrument | What it covers | Published terms | Status on 25 Oct 2026 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MoFPI Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition Infrastructure (PMKSY) | Pack-house and pre-cooling, storage, ripening chambers, transport; processing infrastructure including integral frozen storage | Grant 35% / 50% for storage and transport; 50% / 75% for processing; cap Rs 10 crore per project; released in instalments of 25%, 40% and 35% | Closed: the project EoI dated 27 May 2025 closed at 17:00 on 8 Aug 2025 after an extension. No newer cold-chain project EoI was found among MoFPI notices | MoFPI pattern of assistance; MoFPI notice 2025 |
| MoFPI irradiation units (Cold Chain scheme) | Multiproduct food irradiation units | Grant 50% / 75% | Closed: the EoI dated 20 May 2026 closed at 17:00 on 30 Sep 2026 after extensions | MoFPI circulars list |
| Approved MoFPI cold-chain projects | Projects already sanctioned to their promoters | 404 approved and 300 completed (PIB, 5 Dec 2025); a state-wise list of 408 approved projects as on 31 Mar 2026 | Approved promoter projects, not open calls and not ColdMatch buyer projects | PIB 5 Dec 2025; MoFPI circulars list |
| PMKSY budget envelope | All PMKSY components | Rs 6,520 crore total outlay for 2021-22 to 2025-26 (Cabinet, 31 Jul 2025). Cold Chain scheme 2025-26: budget estimate Rs 171.63 crore, Rs 65.43 crore spent by 27 Nov 2025 | The outlay after 31 Mar 2026 was not verified in the documents reviewed | PMO 31 Jul 2025; PIB 5 Dec 2025 |
| NHB capital investment subsidy (cold storage) and post-harvest management | Cold stores and CA stores; pack-houses, pre-cooling units, ripening chambers, reefer vans | Credit-linked, back-ended: 35% (50% North-East, hilly, scheduled areas). Post-harvest projects capped at Rs 50.75 lakh (general) and Rs 72.50 lakh (North-East, hilly, scheduled) | Scheme guidelines; application window not checked | NHB guidelines |
| Agriculture Infrastructure Fund | Bank loans for post-harvest infrastructure including cold stores | Rs 1 lakh crore facility, 9% interest cap, operational until 2032-33; 3% interest subvention for seven years on loans up to Rs 2 crore; CGTMSE credit guarantee up to Rs 2 crore | A financing facility through lenders, not a tender | PIB 21 Mar 2025 |
| Public tenders (CPPP, GeM, state portals) | Equipment, works and operation packages issued by public buyers | Rules are set by each tender document | No live refrigeration tender was verified for this page. Check the portal for a reference number and an open bid deadline | — |
Grant and subsidy decisions belong to the ministry, the board and the lending bank. ColdMatch does not judge eligibility and does not prepare scheme applications.
What to specify for each component before asking for prices
None of these values are prescribed by the sources. They are the questions a supplier needs answered to quote comparably.
| Component | Capacity basis | Temperature and handling | Energy and site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-cooling | Peak harvest-day intake in tonnes, batch size, target cooling time | Arrival and target pulp temperature per crop; method (forced air, hydro or vacuum) chosen per crop | Peak electrical load during the harvest window, backup supply, water for hydro-cooling |
| Pack-house and packing line | Tonnes per shift, grading and packing steps, dispatch room size | Clean and cold zones, packaging that keeps airflow | Line power, compressed air, drainage, washing water |
| Cold storage (chambers or hub) | Holding tonnes per zone and dispatch peaks | Set point and humidity per zone; incompatible products kept apart | Insulation, defrost, monitoring and alarms, power quality and outages |
| Ripening chambers | Rooms and tonnes per ripening cycle | Temperature, humidity and ripening-gas control per fruit | Gas safety, ventilation, controls backup |
| Reefer transport | Payload, number of vehicles, route length and stops | Temperature class per load, door-opening losses | Fuel or electric standby, telematics and temperature records |
| Blast freezer / IQF / frozen store | kg/h freezing capacity, frozen store pallets | Product entry and exit temperatures, freezing time, frozen holding temperature | Refrigerant choice, condenser heat rejection, plant room and safety |
A qualified engineer must validate refrigeration loads, refrigerant safety and local rules. A storage volume or calculator result alone is not a design.
Infrastructure need, closed calls and live tenders are different things
The NCCD figures describe documented infrastructure need. A scheme page describes what may be funded. An approved-project list names projects already sanctioned to their promoters. None of these is a tender, and none is a ColdMatch buyer project. A live opportunity has a reference number, an issuing body and an open deadline — the last MoFPI cold-chain project call (EoI of 27 May 2025) closed on 8 August 2025, and the irradiation call of 20 May 2026 closed on 30 September 2026.
- Infrastructure need: a gap in the official study; no buyer or budget attached
- Scheme guidance: terms that may apply if a call is open and the applicant is eligible
- Closed call: past deadline — useful only to understand what the next call may ask
- Approved project: sanctioned to a promoter; procurement is the promoter's decision
- ColdMatch project: a buyer has submitted a defined project of USD 250,000 or more for review
India's gap is in the links between farm and city, not bulk cold stores
The 2015 NCCD study measured need against what urban consumers actually eat and found the largest shortfalls in the first and last links: pack-houses with pre-coolers at the farm gate, reefer transport and ripening chambers near cities. For cold stores, created capacity was close to the study's requirement, although the operational capacity surveyed by NHB in December 2014 was lower. By September 2025, PIB reported 8,815 cold storages with 40.21 million MT. The figures use different bases, so compare them with care.
How the funding works, and what it does not do
MoFPI's Integrated Cold Chain scheme pays a grant-in-aid on eligible plant, machinery and technical civil works: 35% in general areas and 50% in the North-East, Himalayan states, ITDP areas and islands for storage, pre-cooling, ripening and transport; 50% and 75% for processing infrastructure; capped at Rs 10 crore per project and released in three instalments, the last after the promoter's contribution and term loan are fully used. NHB subsidies are credit-linked and back-ended, and need in-principle approval first. The Agriculture Infrastructure Fund lowers loan interest; it is not a grant.
- A grant is paid against eligible costs after approval; it is not an advance or a purchase order
- Applications go only through an open call or an open scheme window
- Size the project on operating demand first, then check whether a scheme fits
Energy, refrigerant and site: plan for the rules that are coming
Under the Kigali Amendment schedule published by India's Ozone Cell, HFC production and consumption freeze from 1 January 2028, with reductions of 10% from 2032, 20% from 2037, 30% from 2042 and 85% from 2047. The India Cooling Action Plan sets goals for 2037-38 to cut cooling demand by 20–25%, refrigerant demand by 25–30% and cooling energy by 25–40%. For a plant with a 20-year life, the refrigerant choice and energy efficiency belong in the RFQ, not in a later variation.
- Ask each supplier to state refrigerant, charge and how service will work after the HFC freeze
- State grid capacity, outage pattern and backup at the site; ask for part-load energy figures
- Ask whether the design allows solar or thermal storage where power is unreliable
Registrations and rules to confirm
MoFPI's circulars list includes a notice dated 14 July 2026 on compulsory registration of cold-storage facilities created under the Cold Chain scheme with the Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority (WDRA); read the circular for its scope. Food storage operators should confirm the FSSAI licence or registration that applies to them, and public buyers apply their own procurement rules. ColdMatch does not certify compliance.
Risks and unknowns
The main gap figures date from 2015 and were sized on 2014-15 consumption. Capacity totals differ between created and operational stores. Single-crop bulk stores can sit empty for part of the year. Grants depend on an open call, eligibility and approval, and the scheme outlay after 31 March 2026 was not verified here. Power quality, land, utilization and the operator's maintenance budget usually decide whether a facility performs.
- Utilization: who brings product in each month, and at what tariff
- Power: outages, demand charges and backup cost
- Funding timing: grant instalments follow spending and loans; plan cash flow without them
- Data age: re-check figures with the state department or NCCD before investment decisions
Project checklist before an RFQ
Answer these first. Unanswered items become assumptions in every supplier's price.
- Region and siteState and district, land status, access road, grid connection and water
- CommoditiesCrops or products, monthly volumes and the season's peak day
- CapacityPre-cooling tonnes per day, holding tonnes per zone, ripening rooms, freezing kg/h, vehicles
- TemperaturesArrival and target temperature per product, humidity, cooling time
- ScopePre-cooling, storage, packing line, ripening, reefer transport, IQF — and civil, electrical and controls boundaries
- EnergyAvailable power, backup, refrigerant preference and efficiency targets
- Funding positionOwn funds, bank loan, scheme application status — stated as known or unknown
- OperatorWho runs, maintains and pays for energy after handover
- Budget floorColdMatch reviews projects of USD 250,000 or more; smaller single units can use the free tools
From documented need to a project RFQ
- Pick the project type from the table above that matches your bottleneck
- Fill in the checklist with your own volumes, temperatures and site data
- Check the current status of any scheme you plan to use directly with MoFPI, NHB or your bank
- Submit one project RFQ; the ColdMatch team reviews it and contacts suitable suppliers on your behalf
- Compare the organized responses on the same scope, energy and service basis
Related equipment and guides
- Pack-house refrigeration in India
- Cold storage project finance in India
- India public cold-chain tenders: how they work
- Government cold storage projects: pre-tender readiness
- Pack-house and pre-cooling equipment
- Ripening rooms
- Blast freezers and IQF
- Reefer containers and truck bodies
- Industrial refrigeration plants
- Indian grapes to Vietnam: export lane readiness
Questions about cold-chain projects in India
Is there an open government cold-chain call or tender in India now?
Not that ColdMatch could verify on 25 October 2026. MoFPI's last cold-chain project EoI (27 May 2025) closed on 8 August 2025, and its irradiation EoI (20 May 2026) closed on 30 September 2026. Check MoFPI, NHB, CPPP, GeM and state portals for a notice with a reference number and an open deadline.
What is India's cold-chain capacity gap?
The official NCCD study (2015) found gaps of 69,831 pack-houses, 52,826 reefer vehicles and 8,319 ripening chambers, and a combined bulk and hub cold-storage gap of 32,76,962 MT. It was sized on 2014-15 consumption.
What subsidy is available for cold storage in India?
MoFPI's Integrated Cold Chain scheme gives a 35% grant (50% in North-East, Himalayan, ITDP areas and islands) for storage, pre-cooling, ripening and transport, capped at Rs 10 crore, but only through an open call. NHB offers credit-linked back-ended subsidies, and the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund gives 3% interest subvention on loans up to Rs 2 crore. Eligibility is decided by the scheme authority.
Does India need more cold storage or more pack-houses?
The NCCD study found the bigger gap in pack-houses with pre-coolers, reefer transport and ripening chambers. Created cold-storage capacity was close to the study's requirement, and PIB reported 40.21 million MT in 8,815 cold storages in September 2025.
Which India projects can ColdMatch help with?
Defined projects of USD 250,000 or more, such as integrated pack-house clusters, distribution hubs, ripening facilities, freezing lines or cold-store retrofits. ColdMatch reviews the buyer's RFQ and contacts suitable suppliers on the buyer's behalf. It does not apply for grants, bid in tenders or supply produce.
What refrigerant rules affect a new cold-chain plant in India?
India's HFC production and consumption freeze from 1 January 2028, with reductions from 2032 under the Kigali Amendment schedule. Ask suppliers to state the refrigerant, charge and service plan for the plant's whole life.