Innovative Cold Storage Solution for Small Farmer-Retailers

by

Nishank Seth

Rural India has a lack of proper food storage infrastructure, especially for perishable foods and vegetables, which is a major problem faced by small-scale farmers. Without access to large and professional cold storage facilities or 24-hour electricity, the quality of stored fruits and vegetables is negatively impacted, and farmers suffer huge losses during the after-harvest time period. They get forced into making “distress sales”, and this really impacts their income and also food security across the country.

It has been shown that farmers in India lose almost 40% of their fruits and vegetables post-harvest due to poor storage, transport, and handling (ICAR report). This lack of cold storage facilities affects mainly farmers growing perishable crops like tomatoes, bananas, and leafy greens. The problem is worse in regions where access to electricity is unreliable or unavailable, which makes refrigerated storage absolutely unaffordable.

Even though most rural areas in India are now connected to the electricity grid, the quality of that electricity supply is poor. In some Indian states (like Jharkhand, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh), rural households receive less than 12 hours of electricity per day, with frequent voltage drops and many unannounced blackouts. This means that even if farmers do have access to cold storage, the infrastructure is not good enough to support the running of many such units. While solutions like solar-powered cold storage are emerging, adoption remains low due to high upfront costs. The small and marginal farmers, in particular, do not get the benefits.

With no available options to store the produce, farmers are forced to sell their harvest immediately, often during peak supply periods when prices are lowest. This is true especially in the case of tomatoes, and leads to “distress sales,” which are transactions where the produce is sold below the cost of production. This leads to a storage gap that reduces farmers’ crop choices. Many farmers with small land holdings avoid growing crops that are perishable, even if they are high-value crops; instead, they end up growing grains or pulses which are less profitable, but are easier to store using traditional means. This limits the farmer’s income potential and discourages agricultural diversification.

There are other impacts of this problem. Poor storage impacts the Food Safety and Quality. Unsafe storage practices can lead to contamination (chemicals, fungus, etc.), harming both consumer health and resale. High humidity, poor ventilation, lack of refrigeration, and unclean storage units can contaminate food items. For example, leafy greens like spinach, coriander, and amaranth easily host bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria under moist storage.

According to APEDA reports, there’s an estimated loss of $70M – $80M annually in export revenue due to mycotoxin contamination in spices and vegetables originating from poor post-harvest practices.

Even in villages that have access to electricity, the high cost of refrigerators or cold storage units, along with electricity bills and maintenance, makes them unaffordable for most small farmers. This financial barrier forces farmers to sell perishable produce immediately, regardless of market prices, reinforcing the cycle of distress sales and post-harvest losses.

To address this issue, WHEELS Global Foundation has supported the scaling of a transformative technology solution – a Zero-energy Cold-Storage for Small Farmers. Developed by young IIT Bombay alumni, this “Subjee Cooler” requires no electricity or solar power, or diesel for its operation; all it needs is 20 liters of water per day!

The Subjee Cooler is made of 7 layers of insulation walls, which keep the inside temperature lower than the surroundings by a margin of 41 – 70°C and maintain a high relative humidity of 85 – 90%.  This allows farmers to preserve flowers/vegetable crops for a short duration: 4 – 6 days, and aids them in planning the disposal of their harvest better, depending on the maturity level of the produce.  

There’s a really big opportunity here!  In India, there are around 129 million small and marginal farmers, and about 51 million of them grow flowers, fruits, and vegetables, which makes them perfect users for something like the Subjee Cooler. On top of that, there are around 2.5 million retailers who sell these kinds of items and could also really benefit from using it.

The WHEELS Global Foundation is working with its large alumni community with pan-India presence, local & State governments, and its 120+ strong impact partner network to spread awareness and get more people to use the Subjee Cooler. It’s already been set up in 11 different states across India, and it’s helping farmers earn 30 – 50% more money by keeping their produce fresh and stopping them from having to sell it too early for cheap. Big organizations like The World Bank and USAID have praised the Subjee Cooler, and it was even picked by the World Economic Forum as one of 9 youth-led innovations helping the planet. (9 youth-led innovations that are protecting the planet | World Economic Forum)