Mapping of cold chains in Nepal

Abstract

Many developing countries are still not well equipped with cold chain facilities. In this paper, a survey has been conducted to map the current cold chains of inNepal. Most of the cold chain practices in Nepal are found to be primitive or traditional. However, newer technologies and cold chain practices are introduced into the market in the form of display freezer, deep freezer, etc. While the unreliable supply of electricity and underdeveloped transportation are challenging, there is a potentially large market and several development possibilities. NARC (Nepal Agricultural Research Council) has done several research on locally suitable technologies for food preservation, such as solar fish drying. It is recommended that goals of cold chain development should be set and more detailed studies and analysis of available technologies, introduction of newer technologies as well as innovation should be conducted.