Why Cold Storage Is a High-ROI Investment
India loses ₹90,000+ crore of produce every year to lack of cold-chain infrastructure. For farmers and FPOs, a cold storage turns that loss into profit: you store at harvest (low price) and sell in the off-season (high price), while charging rent to other farmers for spare capacity.
Schemes That Fund Cold Storage
- MIDH / NHB: 35% subsidy (general), 50% (NE/hilly/scheduled areas) on approved project cost.
- NABARD: Credit-linked back-ended subsidy for cold chain and warehousing.
- Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF): 3% interest subvention on loans up to ₹2 crore for post-harvest infrastructure.
- State schemes: Many states add top-up subsidies, especially for FPOs.