COLD CHAIN DEVELOPMENT AND CHALLENGES IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD

The cold chain (pre-cooling, cold storage, refrigerated transport, and refrigerated display during marketing) is a requirement for a successful postharvest industry in any country. Major developments have been observed in the last decade in the cold chain industry in the world, including in some developing regions. World total cold chain capacity in the last decade has increased. In the developing world (DW) it more than doubled in India and increased 66% in Brazil, and 20% in China, but still very little or none in many regions of the DW. The increasing capacity is driven by greater reliance on the cold chain to meet growing trade and consumption of better quality perishable foods, needs to meet international standards of quality and food safety, the retail boom and a growing middle class in these countries. In general, the cold chain in the DW is still not developed adequately, and still needs major improvements, with challenges facing the industries. Building and/or owning cold chain facilities is very expensive for most businesses in the DW, and there is inadequate support from companies that specialize in renting cold chain spaces and instruments. Therefore, companies that need cold storages become involved in construction and/or buying, with very little opportunities for renting the service. Erratic (or even lack) of power supply in many regions of the DW, especially in regions with warm climate or during the warm season is a serious problem. In some regions of the DW the cold chain industry is characterized by poor return on investment compared with other businesses. In addition to the lack of adequate cold chain application and cold chain infrastructure in many regions of the DW, the overall knowledge of proper cold chain practices is very weak in most regions of the DW, and the number of adequate and properly trained technicians is very limited, especially among small companies.