BK JHA
India needs to urgently overhaul its agricultural export logistics ecosystem by integrating warehousing, cold chains, quality testing, certification and transportation into a seamless single-window system, Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) Managing Director Santosh Sinha said at a stakeholder consultation organised by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI).
The consultation, organised jointly by PHDCCI and CWC on “Strengthening Agri-Export Logistics through Integrated Warehousing and Value-Added Services”, brought together senior representatives of government agencies, industry, exporters, logistics companies, warehousing providers and sectoral experts to examine how India can build an efficient supply chain from the farm gate to global markets.
Sinha said strengthening logistics infrastructure is critical not only for expanding India’s agricultural exports but also for reducing post-harvest losses and preventing distress sales by farmers. He pointed out that CWC began its journey in 1957 with just seven warehouses, primarily to address farmers’ distress caused by inadequate storage infrastructure. Today, the corporation has expanded its network to more than 950 warehouses across the country.
India produces around 360 million tonnes of fruits and vegetables annually, but an estimated 25-30 per cent is lost after harvesting because of inadequate storage, insufficient cold-chain infrastructure and logistical bottlenecks.
“This represents both a major economic loss and a missed export opportunity,” Sinha said, underlining the need to build infrastructure capable of preserving quality right from the point of production.
CWC is now seeking to leverage its extensive warehousing and EXIM infrastructure to offer exporters a more integrated service covering storage, cold-chain management, quality control, phytosanitary certification and export logistics.
Sinha highlighted CWC’s specialised technical capabilities in phytosanitary certification, which can help Indian exporters meet destination-country requirements and reduce the possibility of consignments being rejected in overseas markets. The corporation is also exploring cost-effective, commodity-specific cold-storage solutions, including through its engagement with IIT Delhi.
Technology is emerging as another critical component of the proposed ecosystem. CWC is adopting digital and AI-enabled container tracking systems at key facilities to improve supply-chain visibility and enable exporters to track consignments more efficiently.
With its presence across major ports, Inland Container Depots (ICDs) and Container Freight Stations (CFSs), Sinha said CWC is well positioned to create a single-window logistics solution linking the farm gate with the final overseas customer. Such an integrated network could combine road, rail, air and coastal transportation and help bring down logistics costs.
Akhilesh Gupta, Deputy Director, Regulatory Compliance Division, FSSAI, outlined the regulatory requirements applicable to food businesses and exporters. He stressed the importance of appropriate compliance and certification mechanisms, while highlighting the role of risk-based inspections and destination-country requirements in facilitating food exports.
Pradeep Multani, Chairman-Emeritus, Multani Pharmaceuticals Ltd., called for a shift from conventional warehouses to integrated logistics and value-added centres equipped for sorting, grading, packaging, labelling, quality testing, temperature-controlled storage and traceability.
He emphasised that real-time inventory management, end-to-end traceability and temperature monitoring would become increasingly important for Indian exporters seeking to meet stringent international quality standards.
Pawan Kumar, Group General Manager (General)/Regional Manager, CWC, said integration across procurement, quality control, assaying, sorting, grading, storage, certification and export facilitation would be crucial for reducing logistics costs and improving export efficiency.
Nasir Jamal, Assistant Secretary General, PHDCCI, said India’s expanding agricultural production, growing food-processing capabilities and rising global demand make it imperative to create a more efficient agri-export ecosystem.
“Warehousing can no longer be viewed merely as a storage facility. It must evolve into an integrated ecosystem,” he said, calling for greater convergence among government agencies, regulators, exporters, logistics providers and industry.
The consultation also examined quarantine and pest-control requirements, trade facilitation, exporter challenges and ways to leverage CWC infrastructure for agri-export promotion.
The central message emerging from the deliberations was clear: India’s agri-export ambitions cannot be realised through production alone. A coordinated farm-to-port logistics chain, supported by modern warehousing, cold storage, certification, digital traceability and multimodal transport, will be essential to reduce wastage, lower costs and establish India as a reliable global supplier of agricultural and processed food products.
