The third webinar in the series by SELCO Foundation and CEEP focused on sustainable energy for cold storage and just transition. It highlighted how inadequate storage infrastructure hampers farmers' bargaining power and their ability to secure fair prices for their produce. The session concluded that cold storage finance should combine grants and loans, as farm produce aggregators struggle to reach break-even within four years.
Access to appropriate storage infrastructure, along with other challenges, create unfavorable dynamics which inhibit negotiation power of farmers and their ability to demand a fair price for their produce.
Doubling farm income is not a matter of empathy towards the marginalised, but that of social justice. The income and infrastructure disparity has been exposed by the current pandemic, emphasising the need to invest in productive rural infrastructure.
The third and last of the webinar series by SELCO Foundation and CEEP focused on sustainable energy for cold storage and just transition was ‘Re-looking at the Cold Chain Policy’.
The takeaway from the webinar was that farm produce aggregators do not have the required capital to even reach the break-even point before four years of being in the business. The cold storage finance should be a mix of grants & loans.
The third webinar in the series by SELCO Foundation and CEEP focused on sustainable energy for cold storage and just transition. It highlighted how inadequate storage infrastructure hampers farmers' bargaining power and their ability to secure fair prices for their produce. The session concluded that cold storage finance should combine grants and loans, as farm produce aggregators struggle to reach break-even within four years.
Access to appropriate storage infrastructure, along with other challenges, create unfavorable dynamics which inhibit negotiation power of farmers and their ability to demand a fair price for their produce.
Doubling farm income is not a matter of empathy towards the marginalised, but that of social justice. The income and infrastructure disparity has been exposed by the current pandemic, emphasising the need to invest in productive rural infrastructure.
The third and last of the webinar series by SELCO Foundation and CEEP focused on sustainable energy for cold storage and just transition was ‘Re-looking at the Cold Chain Policy’.
The takeaway from the webinar was that farm produce aggregators do not have the required capital to even reach the break-even point before four years of being in the business. The cold storage finance should be a mix of grants & loans.
Aruna Rangachar Pohl is a seasoned entrepreneur and development leader with over 30 years of experience spanning the food, agriculture, and retail sectors. An alumna of IIM Ahmedabad, she has built businesses in spice processing, food ingredients, and organic food marketing, while also consulting for international agri-export bodies and multinational corporations. Since transitioning to the development sector in 2011, Aruna has been dedicated to fostering sustainable agriculture, green enterprises, and biodiversity conservation. As Chairperson of IFHD, she leads initiatives that support smallholder farmers, promote resilient landscapes, and drive community-led conservation efforts. She is also a governing board member of the Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture Network (RRAN) and has been recognised among the 50 Most Impactful Green Leaders globally.
Aditya Ramji is currently an Economist with Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd., and has a specialisation in Energy and Development economics. His key areas of work have been energy policy, energy access, transportation and renewable energy, and climate risks. Prior to joining Mahindra and Mahindra, he has worked with two leading think tanks in India – the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), both based in New Delhi. He also currently serves as an Advisor, Bask Research Foundation, and was one of its Founding Directors. He is also a Visiting Faculty, and Advisor, Centre for Technology and Policy (CTaP), at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras
Dr. Harish Hande is the co-founder of SELCO Solar Light Pvt. Ltd., a pioneering social enterprise established in 1995 to provide sustainable energy solutions to rural India. An IIT Kharagpur alumnus, Harish earned his Master’s and PhD in sustainable energy from the University of Massachusetts, USA. The idea for SELCO emerged during his PhD research when he witnessed solar lighting being used by poor communities in the Dominican Republic, inspiring him to bring similar solutions to India. For his contributions to energy access and social impact, Harish received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2011. He also serves on the boards of several national and international organisations.
Mr. P.V.S. Suryakumar brings over three decades of experience in rural development and agricultural finance. Since joining NABARD in 1986, he has led diverse functions including project appraisal, funding, policy advocacy, training, and program implementation across multiple states in India. An expert in agriculture and sustainable development, he holds a Master’s in Plant Genetics from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, and a Master’s in Sustainable Development from Staffordshire University, UK, as a Commonwealth Scholar. He has also completed the 25th Management Education Program at IIM Ahmedabad and is an Associate of the Indian Institute of Banking & Finance.
Rohit Pujari is a politician from Odisha, India, representing the Rairakhol Vidhan Sabha Constituency. He is a member of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and actively contributes to the state's political and developmental initiatives.
Tarun Garg is the Programme Lead, Buildings & Communities at AEEE, with over 13 years of experience in the buildings and cooling sector. He currently leads the implementation of the India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP), focusing on cold-chain and space cooling. Tarun holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Delhi College of Engineering and a Master’s in Energy and Environment Management from IIT Delhi. He is also a BEE-certified Energy Auditor and a Certified Measurement & Verification Professional (CMVP). Before joining AEEE, Tarun worked as a Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Private Limited and served as a Fellow and Area Convenor at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
Aruna Rangachar Pohl is a seasoned entrepreneur and development leader with over 30 years of experience spanning the food, agriculture, and retail sectors. An alumna of IIM Ahmedabad, she has built businesses in spice processing, food ingredients, and organic food marketing, while also consulting for international agri-export bodies and multinational corporations. Since transitioning to the development sector in 2011, Aruna has been dedicated to fostering sustainable agriculture, green enterprises, and biodiversity conservation. As Chairperson of IFHD, she leads initiatives that support smallholder farmers, promote resilient landscapes, and drive community-led conservation efforts. She is also a governing board member of the Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture Network (RRAN) and has been recognised among the 50 Most Impactful Green Leaders globally.
Aditya Ramji is currently an Economist with Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd., and has a specialisation in Energy and Development economics. His key areas of work have been energy policy, energy access, transportation and renewable energy, and climate risks. Prior to joining Mahindra and Mahindra, he has worked with two leading think tanks in India – the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), both based in New Delhi. He also currently serves as an Advisor, Bask Research Foundation, and was one of its Founding Directors. He is also a Visiting Faculty, and Advisor, Centre for Technology and Policy (CTaP), at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras
Dr. Harish Hande is the co-founder of SELCO Solar Light Pvt. Ltd., a pioneering social enterprise established in 1995 to provide sustainable energy solutions to rural India. An IIT Kharagpur alumnus, Harish earned his Master’s and PhD in sustainable energy from the University of Massachusetts, USA. The idea for SELCO emerged during his PhD research when he witnessed solar lighting being used by poor communities in the Dominican Republic, inspiring him to bring similar solutions to India. For his contributions to energy access and social impact, Harish received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2011. He also serves on the boards of several national and international organisations.
Mr. P.V.S. Suryakumar brings over three decades of experience in rural development and agricultural finance. Since joining NABARD in 1986, he has led diverse functions including project appraisal, funding, policy advocacy, training, and program implementation across multiple states in India. An expert in agriculture and sustainable development, he holds a Master’s in Plant Genetics from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, and a Master’s in Sustainable Development from Staffordshire University, UK, as a Commonwealth Scholar. He has also completed the 25th Management Education Program at IIM Ahmedabad and is an Associate of the Indian Institute of Banking & Finance.
Rohit Pujari is a politician from Odisha, India, representing the Rairakhol Vidhan Sabha Constituency. He is a member of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and actively contributes to the state's political and developmental initiatives.
Tarun Garg is the Programme Lead, Buildings & Communities at AEEE, with over 13 years of experience in the buildings and cooling sector. He currently leads the implementation of the India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP), focusing on cold-chain and space cooling. Tarun holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Delhi College of Engineering and a Master’s in Energy and Environment Management from IIT Delhi. He is also a BEE-certified Energy Auditor and a Certified Measurement & Verification Professional (CMVP). Before joining AEEE, Tarun worked as a Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Private Limited and served as a Fellow and Area Convenor at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
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