Lok Sabha Question No. 2940 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-18
Subject: Refrigerated Transport Facilities for Export
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Shri Vamsi Krishna Gaddam

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY (DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE)

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2940 ANSWERED ON 18/03/2025

## REFRIGERATED TRANSPORT FACILITIES FOR EXPORT

## 2940.  SHRI VAMSI KRISHNA GADDAM:

Will the Minister of COMMERCE & INDUSTRY ( वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मं त्री ) be pleased to state:

(a) whether  the  Government  intends  to  fund  the  establishment  of  an  irradiation  plant  in Telangana to increase the shelf life of fruits and vegetables, if so, the details thereof;

(b) the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  provide  cold  storage  and  refrigerated  transport facilities for the export of perishable items like milk, eggs, and vegetables from Telangana;

(c) the expected timeline for the implementation of these facilities; and

(d) the extent to which initiatives align with the broader goal of transforming Telangana into a trillion-dollar economy?

## ANSWER

वाणिज्य और उद्योग मं त्रालय में राज्य मं त्री ( श्री णिणिन प्रसाद )

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

(a) to (d) The Department of Commerce supports creation of export related infrastructure in the  country  by  bridging  gaps,  if  any  and  also  supports  export  efforts  by  facilitating  export linkages.  Accordingly,  an  assistance  of Rs.  13.64  crore  has  been  approved  in  principle  for  a project  proposal  for  'Setting  up  of  Irradiation  Facility  in  Hyderabad'  under  a  Central  Sector Scheme, namely 'Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme (TIES)'.

Telangana is a major rice exporter and a key supplier of fresh fruits like mangoes, pomegranates, and  custard  apples,  with  focus  on  GI  Banganapalli  mangoes.  To  promote  the  export  of  its Scheduled products,  including  from  Telangana,  the  Agricultural  and  Processed  Food  Products Export  Development  Authority  (APEDA),  under  the  Department  of  Commerce,  provides financial  assistance  to  its  registered  exporters  through  its  Financial  Assistance  Scheme  (FAS). The scheme has the following components:

i.  Scheme for infrastructure Development -  Financial assistance for setting up of packhouses facilities  with  packing  /  grading  lines,  pre-cooling  unit  with  cold  storage  and  refrigerated transportation  etc.,  cable  system  for  handling  of  crops  like  banana,  pre-shipment  treatment facilities  such  as  irradiation,  vapor  heat  treatment,  hot  water  dip  treatment  and  Common infrastructure facilities, reefer vans and missing gap in the existing infrastructure of individual exporters.

ii.  Scheme  for  Quality  Development -  Financial  assistance  for  purchase  of  laboratory  testing equipment, installation of quality management system, handheld devices for capturing farm level coordinates for traceability and testing of water, soil, residues and pesticides etc.

iii.  Scheme  for  Market  PromotionThe  assistance  covers  participation  of  exporters  in international trade fairs, organizing buyer seller meets and developing packaging standards for new products and upgrading the existing standards.

The details of financial assistance guidelines are available at APEDA Website www.apeda.gov.in under the 'Scheme' tab.

Further, the Government of India through Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) has been  implementing  a  component  -  Integrated  Cold  Chain  and  Value  Addition  Infrastructure (Cold  Chain  scheme)  under  an  umbrella  Central  Sector  Scheme  -  Pradhan  Mantri  Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY). Under Cold Chain scheme, financial support in the form of grantsin-aid/subsidy  is  provided  for  setting  up  of  irradiation  facility,  for  various  sectors  including perishable  items  across  the  country,  including  the  State  of  Telangana.  It  also  includes  cold storage, grading and sorting facilities, reefer vans for storage and transportation of raw materials and finished products.

There is no State-wise fund allocation as the scheme is demand driven and applications/proposals  are  invited  from  the  eligible  entities  across  the  country  by  floating Expression of Interest. As present, there is no irradiation project being funded by MoFPI in the State of Telangana.

All  the  aforementioned  initiatives  taken  by  the  Government  to  boost  the  exports,  will  help  in increasing the exports of agricultural products from the State of Telangana, which in turn would contribute  towards  helping  the  State  in  achieving  the  goal  of  transforming  Telangana  into  a trillion-dollar economy.

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