The Hindu Business Line : CIAL to set up Rs 15-cr facility for perishable cargo

COCHIN International Airport Ltd (CIAL) is setting up a centre for perishable cargo at an investment of Rs 15.02 crore, aimed at giving a fillip to exports of agricultural and other perishable products from Kerala and neighbouring States.

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authorities (APEDA), the nodal organisation for export promotion of agricultural products, is giving a grant of Rs 8.37 crore for the centre under the financial assistance scheme to develop infrastructure.

A memorandum of understanding was signed between APEDA and CIAL in this regard. The project would come up at the Cochin Airport in a year, said Mr V.J. Kurian, Managing Director of CIAL, at a press conference here on Monday.

Once completed, the 1,800-sq.m. centre would provide full-fledged cool room facility for vegetables, fruits, flowers and other agri-products, as well as for poultry and live stock products. It will have six chambers of varying temperature control.

The company said the centre would be an important link for a cold chain for exporting perishable cargo. In a complete cold chain, the cargo will be moved from the fields to the pack houses in refrigerated vehicles and after packaging, the same would be moved to the airport.

This cargo will be processed in the centre at the airport, before being loaded in the aircraft.

The advantage of having a complete cold chain is that the quality of perishable cargo would be maintained in good condition, and there would not be any rejection of the cargo in the market.

The cargo sent through a cold chain would also fetch attractive price in the export market, CIAL said.