Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh State Energy Conservation Mission (APSECM) has taken steps towards the implementation of energy efficiency in the Integrated Cold Chain (ICC) sector under the India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) under Agriculture Demand Side Management (AgDSM) in coordination with Andhra Pradesh Food Processing Society (APFPS) and agriculture and marketing department.Under this project, APSECM conducted a capacity-building programme for owners and design consultants of the ICC sector on Monday at Bhimavaram aimed at imparting large-scale awareness on energy efficiency measures and encouraged cold chain firms/units to adopt energy-efficient technologies.The APSECM officials said that the cold chain forms a critical link between farming and marketing and an ICC is critical for connecting farmers to markets near and far, allowing them to extract more value from their production, and helping to improve their livelihoods while reducing post-harvest food loss and waste, said officials.The APSECM officials stated, “India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) launched in March 2019 projects significant growth in cold chain infrastructure development and this is an opportune time to reflect on measures that could ensure a sustainable trajectory for India’s cold chain development. The objective of the program is to promote Energy Efficiency in the ICC by conducting training and awareness programs for the personnel involved in the chain.”The officials said that with funding support from Union ministry of power-led Bureau of Energy Efficiency in coordination with APFPS was in the process of developing guidelines for good practices in the operation and maintenance (O&M ) of ICC facilities, a web-based platform containing a directory of design consultants and preparation of product catalogue on building materials and Integrated cold chain equipment including demonstration energy efficiency projects in cold chain sector and organising training and capacity building programs for owners and design consultants of ICC and O&M personnel.
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