The country’s first-ever International Cold Chain Bangladesh-2024 exhibition will be held at the International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB) in Dhaka on 16 May with a view to fostering the benefit of the entire cold chain industry of the country.

Bangladesh Cold Storage Association (BCSA) President Mostofa Azad Chowdhury Babu made the disclosure at a press conference at its auditorium in the capital on Thursday.

A total of 180 stalls from 14 countries will display cold storage infrastructure, equipment, machinery, refrigeration industries, packaging and labelling supplies, logistics services, freight forwarding and cold chain transportation, lab equipment, and ICT solutions at the event.

“A lot of agricultural goods, including around 8-10 lakh tonnes of onions, get rotten every year against the demand for 33 lakh tonnes in the country. To reduce the wastage of agricultural goods, we should develop our cold chain management. Otherwise, we cannot resolve the problems of food deficit,” he said.

There are currently 471 cold storages in the country and most of those are used for potatoes, said Mostofa, former senior vice-president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI).

“We need more investments in the industry to store various items, including onions, tomatoes, carrots, meat, dates, and fruits to ensure food security.”

He demanded government policy support and loans at low-interest rates for the sector, and the formation of a cell jointly by finance, commerce, agriculture, and environment ministries as well as the BCSA to develop the sector.

Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque