SN Ashraf, former BIA vice-president and (right) Bitzer managing director Rob De Bruyn at the workshop in Patna on Wednesday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, June 29: The state government should introduce a special package for a chain of cold storages to promote the food-processing industries, said former vice-president of Bihar Industries Association (BIA) S.N. Ashraf today.

Ashraf, at a workshop on “Role of cold storage in the development of food-processing industries — opportunities and challenges” organised by BIA on its premises, added that it had become non-viable to run cold storages in the state, given the high cost of power which is not available according to requirement.

He said: “To give agriculture a boost, the government should encourage food-processing industries. This would be possible only when there is a cold chain infrastructure based on the latest technology that consumes less energy.

“At present, the cold storage industry is going through hard times despite the state government’s sincere efforts to promote and set up such storages. The need of the hour is that the government should come out with a special package for the cold storage business,” Ashraf said.

The state government should either introduce a special subsidised electricity tariff for cold storages or should give concessions or rebates on the electricity consumed by the cold storages, Ashraf said adding that the rebate on energy consumption that cold storages got till 1980 should be revived.

“Besides this, the government should provide uninterrupted power supply to the cold storages through a dedicated feeder in those areas where 10 to 15 storages have been set up, like Biharsharif, Samastipur and Danapur,” the former BIA vice-president said.

He also stressed on the need to diversify the use of cold storages. They should not be confined to potatoes but also store other food and dairy products. The government, in its recently announced industrial policy, has incorporated the food-processing industries as a thrust area, Ashraf said.