Rourkela City, India, is helping communities improve their livelihoods through its Cold Rooms project, supported by the Global Mayors Challenge and UNDP.
The project addresses the lack of storage facilities, the cause why local farmers and vendors are often forced to sell their fresh products at low prices by the end of the market day. By providing cold storage spaces, related assets, and training, the project helps them to reduce distress selling, minimize food waste, and improve earnings.
MD Khalid (photo above), a fruit vendor from Panposh Village in Rourkela, benefited from the project in 2024. Before joining, he had storage space for eight (8) boxes of fruits and vegetables, limiting the ability to scale up his operations and increase his income. After participating in the project, he expanded his business significantly, and now stores up to 42 boxes of products, which has allowed him to triple his monthly earnings.
“With the cold room in this market, I can now store surplus vegetables efficiently, significantly reducing spoilage and wastage. The stored vegetables remain fresh for more than a day, allowing me to sell them at the same price as on the first day. This has greatly reduced my need for distress selling, which I often faced at the end of the day. From a profitability perspective, since the inception of the cold room, my earnings have increased by ₹400–₹500 for every 40–45 kg of vegetables I sell.”
– Hiramani Jape, farmer from Ispat Haat Market, Rourkela, who has been using the cold room for 7 months
“Prior to the installation of cold storage, I used to bring 200-300 kg of vegetables to the market. Since the cold storage was introduced my production capacity has gradually increased to 500-600 kg. The project has given me the confidence to increase my cultivation quantity and to expand my business.”
– Gajamati Mahato, farmer from VSS Market, Rourkela
Sumitra Oram (left photo), a small-holder farmer from Panposh, started using the cold storage facility in July 2024. Within three months, she doubled her income.
Before joining, she could store 15 kilograms of fresh products, but now can store up to 40.
The cold rooms are solar-powered to reduce operating expense and help protect the environment.
These are safe and temperature-controlled spaces to accommodate multiple types of products, helping communities meet market demands, and improve the sustainability of their businesses.
Learn more: https://sdglocalaction.org/rourkela-cold-rooms/
