Jammu and Kashmir’s farm economy, anchored in horticulture and dairy, continues to incur heavy post-harvest losses due to weak cold-chain infrastructure. Apples, cherries and other perishables often fail to realise their full market value as inadequate storage and unreliable logistics force growers into distress sales. The administration’s recent push to facilitate cold storage development, including the identification and allocation of land, acknowledges this long-standing gap. However, the central challenge lies not in land availability but in the complexity of doing business in the sector.
The Union Territory has expanded its cold storage footprint in recent years, supported by central schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana and various capital subsidy programmes. Controlled Atmosphere (CA) stores, especially for apples, have improved shelf life and export potential. Yet, the distribution of facilities remains uneven, with many production belts still lacking accessible, multi-commodity storage units. Most existing infrastructure is concentrated around specific districts and commodities, leaving vegetable growers, dairy farmers and smaller orchardists with limited options.
While allocating land for new units is a step forward, investors and local entrepreneurs consistently highlight regulatory bottlenecks as the principal deterrent. Setting up a cold storage facility in Jammu and Kashmir involves navigating multiple clearances — from food safety authorities, pollution control bodies, power utilities, municipal agencies and fire services. These approvals often proceed in isolation, with overlapping documentation requirements and no fixed timelines. The absence of an effective single-window system leads to delays, cost overruns and, in some cases, project abandonment.
Power supply remains another critical concern. Despite improvements, many rural and semi-urban areas continue to experience outages, forcing cold storage operators to depend on diesel generators. This significantly raises operational costs and reduces competitiveness. Given the capital-intensive nature of cold storage projects, such uncertainties deter private investment, particularly from smaller players and farmer-producer organisations that lack the financial cushion to absorb delays and cost escalations.
Financing constraints further limit expansion. Access to formal credit remains uneven, with stringent collateral requirements excluding many potential investors. Seasonal demand patterns in horticulture add to the risk, making lenders cautious and raising borrowing costs. As a result, the sector struggles to attract the scale of investment required to match the region’s production potential.
If Jammu and Kashmir is to build a resilient cold chain, policy must move beyond land allocation to address these structural constraints. A functional single-window clearance mechanism, with time-bound approvals and reduced duplication, is essential. Standardised compliance norms, reliable and subsidised power supply, and targeted financial support — including credit guarantees for smaller investors — would significantly improve project viability. Coordination between departments must replace the current fragmented approach.
Strengthening cold storage infrastructure is not merely about adding capacity; it is vital for reducing waste, stabilising prices and enhancing farmer incomes in a region heavily dependent on horticulture. The groundwork has been laid. The test now lies in whether the administration can create an enabling environment where investment translates into efficient, accessible and widely distributed cold-chain facilities.
