AEEE’s work is aligned with GOI’s agenda of doubling farmers’ income and its prime emphasis on agri-logistics as the backbone of future agricultural development in the country. With the accelerated plans for the development of several thousand packhouses and other cold chain linkages across the country, AEEE believes that right now is the critical window of opportunity to ensure sustainability in the upcoming cold chain infrastructure to advance farmers’ economic well-being and bring other important co-benefits such as mitigating food losses and the resulting emissions and alleviating hunger.
Doubling of Farmers’ Income initiative
Despite being amongst the largest producer of food grains, fruits, and vegetables in the world, India witnesses one of the highest malnutrition rates in the world. More than one-fifth of India’s farmer-producer have incomes below the poverty line. The inter-ministerial committee on Doubling Farmers’ Income (DFI) is a significant initiative outlining measures to reduce post-harvest losses and raise farmers’ incomes. AEEE is working towards the creation of an energy efficient and climate-friendly cold-chain network in India including pack-houses, cold-storages, ripening chambers, and the essential transport linkages to achieve the DFI objectives.
Innovative business models for cold-chain solutions
Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) has been recognized as a key policy approach to transforming the cold chain infrastructure in India by bringing together efficiency, and competence of the private sector with accountability, long-term perspective, and social interest of the public sector. AEEE is committed to promote and facilitate PPP models for integrated development of modern, competitive, and sustainable agri-logistics for perishable horticulture produce in the existing and new agricultural markets.
Climate-friendly immunisation supply cold chain
India’s Universal Immunisation Program (UIP) is amongst the largest in the world and has evolved to include more vaccines and services, in response to the rising needs. However, the vaccine delivery network in India comprising of various temperature-controlled facilities and equipment warrants significant up-gradation especially concerning the last mile connectivity. AEEE encourages innovative low-energy and reliable solutions for the immunisation supply cold-chain through strategies such as off-grid solar-powered cooling/refrigeration solutions for rural Primary Health Centres with unreliable and often interrupted power supply.
