Guwahati, April 12: The cold chain and air-conditioner markets in the Northeast are set for a boost with frontline companies focusing on providing energy-efficient cooling solutions to a region grappling with shortage of power and lack of cold storages.

Danfoss Industries, the Indian subsidiary of Danish refrigeration solutions provider Danfoss Global, for instance, has forayed into Assam's cold chain market with an aim to support storages by making them energy efficient.

The company, a leading provider of energy-efficient refrigeration solutions, has launched a reseller showroom here. "Our strategy in smaller cities and towns is to operate through resellers who hold our stocks and sell them to end users. The showroom will increase local presence of Danfoss and cater to the robust horticulture and agriculture cold chain pockets in Assam," Rajesh Premchandran, vice-president, Danfoss refrigeration and air conditioning division, told The Telegraph.

Danfoss launched a Rs 500-crore manufacturing facility in Chennai in November.

The company will, through the appointed reseller, identify local contractors who in turn will take the technology provided by Danfoss to the end-user. "As of now, we look to identify and train local contractors with the nitty-gritty of what we intend to provide, including knowledge on the right temperature for storing food," Premchandran said.

The Centre had established the National Centre for Cold-chain Development (NCCD), an autonomous body under the ministry of food processing, with an agenda to promote development of the cold-chain sector. The NCCD provides subsidies to investors in cold storages.

"We had come to Assam as part of the NCCD last year and found several areas where we could support the cold storages here. Provision of modern technology for saving energy and mitigating post-harvest losses are among them," he said. There are over 60 cold storages in Assam with a combined storage capacity of over 1,00,000 metric tonnes. The state, which imports 20-25 lakh tonnes of potato from other states, plans to become self-sufficient in potato production by 2019-20.

The Northeast is also poised to witness substantial growth in the air-conditioner market in the next couple of years. "At present, 30,000 air-conditioners are sold in the region in a year, which is expected to increase to one lakh in two years," B. Thiagarajan, executive director, Blue Star Ltd, said here.

He said the company had increased its dealer strength and launched its logistics centre here. "In Assam, high-end products sell more and the demand for split air-conditioners is also on the rise," he said.

He said much of this growth would be seen in the residential segment, which contributed to 70 per cent of its overall air-conditioner sales. "We will focus on this segment with an aim to boost sales of the inverter range of residential split air-conditioners. We are targeting double digit growth in 2016," he said.