Call-in-centre for reefer transport operators opened in Delhi

In order to facilitate smoother transportation of perishable goods by providing redressal to issues that reefer van operators face on the Indian highways, Mr. Radha Mohan Singh, Union Minister for Agriculture, has announced the launch of a reefer vehicle call-in-centre (RVC) in New Delhi. It is a joint initiative by the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, the National Centre for Cold-chain Development (NCCD) and Mahindra Logistics.

This toll-free call-in facility will be available to all transport operators of horticultural, pharmaceutical, livestock, dairy and other refrigerated goods. The call-in-centre can be reached through a toll-free number (18002676223) where grievances of truck drivers and transport operators transporting perishable goods can be registered.

The RVC is intended to help reefer van transporters and operators record complaints about in-transit, operational and regulatory challenges that may cause delays in transportation of goods. These recorded complaints will then be consolidated and shared with the relevant State and Central authorities for subsequent redressal. This is not only to help in providing instant assistance to reefer van operators, but also in developing a long-term plan for corrective action. The collated information will also be highlighted on a website to provide transparent information on bottlenecks to perishable movement on specific stretches of national and state highways. The Prime Minister has frequently expressed the need to improve transport connectivity for agricultural produce. The RVC is a step in this direction.

Launching the unique call-in-centre, Mr. Radha Mohan Singh said: “The cold chain sector is fast growing, and key products, including fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, confectionery and pharmaceuticals are critically dependent on it. An essential link between source and markets is refrigerated transport, which faces several bottlenecks and challenges. The RVC will help create a database of bottlenecks and their types across the national highways. The response generated from this exercise will help devise long-term plans and policies to alleviate bottlenecks and thus control inflation in prices of perishable goods in the country.”

Interspersed with the Prime Minister’s vision of introducing e-governance measures, particularly in the agriculture sector, this call-in-centre will help in enhancing overall productivity by improving connectivity. The centre has been developed to fast-track movement of reefer transport. Today, slow transit time on the roadways is one of the major bottlenecks to ferrying perishable fruits or vegetables on Indian highways. The centre will serve as a single-point telephonic contact for recording all forms of in-transit bottlenecks for transport of perishables.

Interestingly, this project will also bring in IT technology to highlight concerns and assist in improving the governance mechanism on the highways.

This call-in-centre will allow stakeholders to express their concerns on the highways for records and participate with NCCD to develop interventions that will facilitate quicker movement of reefer cargoes across the country. Such facilitation would greatly contribute to minimise wastage due to delays in transportation of perishable goods, particularly vehicles carrying fruits, vegetables, fish and meat.

India is second only to China in fruits and vegetables production, with an estimated output of 270 million tonnes a year. According to official records, there are around 7,000 to 8,000 actively refrigerated trucks capable of a total cargo throughput capacity of 3.6 million tonnes.