Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Cabinet on Wednesday approved a new scheme aimed at strengthening cold storage facilities and infrastructure across the state by providing financial assistance.
The initiative seeks to establish at least one cold storage unit in each of the 58 sub-divisions to encourage private entrepreneurs to set up cold storage units in uncovered yet economically viable locations.
The scheme, “Financial Assistance to Cold Storages”, focuses on enhancing farmers’ income by reducing post-harvest losses, preventing distress sales, and promoting value addition and processing of agriculture, horticulture, and allied sector commodities.
Under the scheme, cold storage units will be strategically linked to potential Agriculture Production Clusters (APCs) set up within their catchment areas.
Subsidies for storage and transport will be provided through the Post-Harvest Management (PHM) scheme under the Directorate of Horticulture.
Assistance will be provided for new cold storage units as well as for reviving stressed, sick, or defunct units.
In cases where multiple applications are received for establishing cold storage units in a single block, preference will be given to applicants seeking the least financial assistance from the government.
The scheme will be implemented over a five-year period, from 2025-26 to 2029-30, with an estimated budget of Rs 252 crore.
This initiative aims to address critical challenges in the post-harvest supply chain and ensure better market opportunities for farmers.
The patterns of assistance for the new cold storages and the existing cold storages (sick/ stressed/defunct) are detailed below:
