Utilization pattern of cold storage units among farmers in Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu

Introduction

Fruits and vegetables are fundamental to a balanced and healthy diet. With India's horticulture production reaching approximately 334.6 million metric tons in 2020-2021, an increase of 4.4% from the previous year ensuring need of proper storage for these perishable items is crucial (Jha et al., 2016) [4] . Due to high post-harvest losses of 5.8-18.1 per cent for fruits and 6.9-13.0 per cent for vegetables, per capita availability is relatively low in India. This is because fruits and vegetables, especially those grown in tropical countries like India, possess a high moisture content that makes them highly susceptible to major postharvest losses (Agarwal et al., 2021) [1] . The cold chain industry's ability to reduce wastage of perishable commodities directly translates to more remunerative prices for growers (Gay et al., 2013) [3] . By minimizing the losses due to spoilage, farmers can sell a higher proportion of their produce, thereby increasing their income (Carson et al, 2017) [2] . Cold storage is an integral component of postharvest management. It extends the shelf life and storability of horticultural produce, thereby reducing postharvest losses. In India, the cold chain industry helps maintain a continuous supply of raw materials for both direct consumption and processing purposes (Lin et al., 2022) [5] . This continuous supply is essential not only for stabilizing prices but also for ensuring proper distribution and marketing of commodities (Ubabuike, 2012) [8] . Cold storage facilities are indispensable for achieving food and nutritional security in India. By extending the shelf life of fruits and vegetables, these facilities ensure a regular and continuous supply of nutritious food throughout the year only through its proper utilization (Paul et al., 2018) [6] .

Materials and Methods

The study on utilization pattern on cold storage units among farmers were performed at Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu and the seven potential cold storage units viz annur, annaimalai, chikkadasam palayam, karamadai, senjeri, thondamuthur and vadakipalayam were selected for the survey and collected the primary data through personnel interview method. Totally, 125 farmers were selected for the study based on the register maintained in the units, the most frequent users were sampled to get appropriate results. Farmers' usage patterns include the source of enrollment, regularity of using cold storage units, preferred produce to be stored, how long to be stored, frequency of usage, purpose, transport, weighing facility, insurance for the produce, grading and sorting access, value-added produce opportunities, access to market information, and linkage between buyers, as well as the satisfaction level of farmers in terms of usage and benefits acquired through cold storage. The utilization trend was detected for numerous parameters through percentage analysis and the Utilization Index were carried out.

𝑈𝐼 =

where, UI = utilization Index Oi = Sum of farmers' utility scores for each information source S = the total possible score

Results and Discussion

The utilization pattern of farmers on cold storage units were analyzed through various parameters and the findings are given in the Table 1 using percentage analysis. From the Table 1 it can been seen that more than half (54.40%) of the farmers started using the cold storage units within 6 months to 1 year and this recent increase in usage highlights the growing awareness and perceived benefits of cold storage. Nearly half (48.00%) of the farmers store their produce for a medium term duration of about 1 to 3 months and this duration is beneficial for moderate shelf life such as root vegetables and certain fruits. From the total produce stored in the cold storages about 26.40 per cent were vegetables followed by 25.60 per cent of fruits, which constitutes more than 50 per cent of the produce as a whole. High frequency of visit to cold storage units were seen in one-third (34.40%) of the farmers who daily visits the unit. More than one-third (35.20%) of the farmers store their produce especially for the marketing purpose alone to potentially meet the demand and stabilize the market prices.

Grading and sorting facilities provided by the cold storage units were utilized by more than one-fourth (26.40%) of the farmers while remaining 73.60 per cent of farmers had limited preference for grading and sorting the produce. More than three-fourths (76.80%) of the farmers had access to value added opportunities from the cold storage units and enhance the value of their agricultural produce. All the respondents (100%) sampled were availed with insurance facilities provided by the cold storage units and indicates a complete penetration of insurance services among the farmers. About 41.60 per cent of farmers considered that insurance premium on stored produce were affordable and manageable within their budgets to enhance their overall accessibility.

Cold storage units provides various marketing information exactly three-fifths (60.00%) of the farmers highly accessing the information related to price fluctuations of the produce and more than two-fifths (44.80%) of the farmers had moderate accessibility towards the information related to product demand in the market. More than half (51.20%) of the farmers had utilized moderate level of opportunities to have linkage between the buyers through cold storage facilities and allowing them to benefit significantly for market trends and profitability. The overall utilization pattern was calculated from different parameters of utilization given in the Table 1. Utilization index were performed using the formula with the maximum possible score of 42 from all the parameters and overall usage pattern was calculated for individual farmers. Based on their overall usage pattern, the farmers were divided into three categories: low, medium and high. The farmers were distributed in accordance with the overall utilization pattern and their findings are interpreted in the Table 2. From the Table 2 it could be observed that nearly two-thirds (65.60%) of the farmers (65.60%) fall into the medium utilization category. About more than one-fifth (21.60%) of the farmers reported low utilization of cold storage units and that might be due to barriers such as high costs, lack of access, or limited awareness of the benefits of cold storage. Higher utilization of cold storage facilities were seen in farmers of 12.80 per cent. The findings indicates that most farmers were using cold storage but only on needed basis rather than as a core part of their post-harvest strategy. Providing more information on the benefits and strategies for effective cold storage use could help these farmers increase their utilization.

Conclusion

The findings indicate that farmers were becoming more aware of and use cold storage units, with 54.40 per cent using these facilities in the last year, indicating a greater understanding of their benefits. The medium-term preservation of root vegetables and fruits, numerous daily visits and extensive use for marketing purposes (35.20%) underline their value. Despite underutilization of grading and sorting facilities (26.40%), more than threefourths (76.80%) profit from value-added choices, and insurance coverage is widely available and reasonably priced (41.60%). Frequent access to marketing information (60.00%) and modest access to demand information (44.80%), as well as buyer relations opportunities (51.20%), highlight cold storage's importance in improving market trends and profitability.

References

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