The Odisha Cold Storage Association has launched an agitation in front of the Assembly with its 13-point charter of demands.

It said the Government has largely remained apathetic to the difficulties of the cold storages, most of which are sick now with the private parties running them incurring heavy losses. 

The association demanded revival package for all cold storages (old and new), credit linkage at low rate of interest, Warehouse Receipt (WHR) financing/ Store Receipt Bond Pledge loan, electricity subsidy at 50 per cent, storage rental subsidy, capacity utilisation guarantee for storing agricultural/forestry/cereals/etc, exemption from Excise duty and licence fees for storing Mahua flower, seed production and distribution, formation of Farmer Producer Groups,  boosting potato production, engagement of technical and qualified post harvest management staff for monitoring cold store and cold room sector, inclusion of representative of  the association in a committee to approve benefits of any such incentives, subsidy, policy etc, besides not declaring cold storages as NPA or initiation of sale proceeds by banks.

“The Government created cold storages inviting private entrepreneurs in order to provide storage infrastructure to the potato growers, but hardly took any initiative to encourage potato cultivation. This led to unavailability of feed stock to cold storages, eventually capacity under-utilisation and huge losses. All cold storages are almost sick and in a state of closure,” said association president Shyam Pansari and secretary Janardhan Sahoo.