Concor to set up two air freight stations by April

Logistics major Container Corporation of India (Concor) will set up two air freight stations by April next year. The company, through its subsidiary Fresh and Health Enterprises Ltd, has lined up a Rs1,500 crore plan to set up cold storages across the country.

“We are finalising seven air freight stations in the country and the first two will be operational by April 2010. The stations will come up at our inland container depots. A part of the warehouse area will be reserved for air consignment,” said a Concor official. He added that the investment will be part of the Rs600 crore capital expenditure earmarked for this year.

Concor has collaborated with Cargo Services Centre for air freight services. The company provides air cargo handling, warehousing and cargo security services.

According to another Concor official, a total of 18 cold storage facilities will come up in three phases. “The first phase will see the storage coming up in New Delhi. In the second phase, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Bangalore will be added,” the official said.

“In the third phase, cold storages will come up at Hyderabad, Nagpur and Pune. Initially, the focus will be on fruits, but wherever there is an opportunity, we will tap it,” the official added.

Concor plans to invest in a mix of technologies to suit various types of fruits. “Depending on the need, we will invest in cold storage technologies for various types of fruits. Potato can be preserved in simple refrigeration. However, for apples, there has to be gas-based technology, which is very expensive,” said the official.

On being asked the difference between its plans on cold storage and the ‘Kisan Vision’ project envisaged in this year’s budget, the official said, “Kisan Vision project has been inducted into this.”

Kisan Vision projects entails temperature-controlled cargo centres apart from special
trains from production clusters to consumer centres for perishable products like fruits and vegetables to reduce wastage and also for village handicraft, cottage industry & textile products to ensure access to new markets. 

Railway minister Mamata Banerjee had inaugurated the first such cold storage facility at Singur in West Bengal last month.