Cold Chain Unbroken (CCUB) is a prime initiative of Satish Lakkaraju, Global Head Air Freight & Pharma, WIZ Freight, who has been passionate and committed to addressing the wastage of food and medicine in India. Today, CCUB has an advisory board constituted of industry experts like shippers, airline experts, and airports. "Many prominent companies like Va-Q-tec and Kaizen began their journey in the temperature-controlled supply chain through CCUB," said Satish Lakkaraju.
Therefore, with this year's theme, 'Transforming cold chain for a resilient and sustainable future,' Raveen Pinto, Vice President, Aviation Business, Bengaluru International Airport Ltd., along with Satish Lakkaraju, inaugurated the Cold Chain Unbroken 2023 Thought Leadership Event at Taj Hotel, Bengaluru on September 14, 2023.
CCUB2023 Inaugural Session
CCUB2023 commenced with a lamp-lighting ceremony with dignitaries including Dr S Selvakumar, IAS, Principal Secretary, Government of Karnataka as the chief guest; Satyaki Raghunath, Chief Strategy and Development Officer, Bengaluru International Airport Ltd.; Kajal Singh, IRS Officer, Executive Vice President, Goods and Services Tax Network; Satish Lakkaraju, Global Head Air Freight & Pharma, WIZ Freight; and Ramkumar Govindarajan, Founder, and CEO, WIZ.
During the inaugural session, Dr S Selvakumar spoke on introducing the fiscal incentives for setting up cold storage facilities in the state. He added, "As the principal secretary of the Industry and Commerce Department, I would like to reaffirm the government's commitment to supporting the cold chain industry in Karnataka. We recognize the pivotal role it plays in enhancing the state's economic development, ensuring food security, and reducing food wastage,"
At the inaugural session of CCUB 2023, Krishi Jagran launched the September edition of its English magazine, 'Agriculture World, on 'Cold Chain' titled, 'Unleashing the potential of Cold Chain'.
Man Behind CCUB2023 - Satish Lakkaraju
In an interview with Krishi Jagran, Satish Lakkaraju shared his journey of starting Cold Chain Unbroken. He said, "We have realized that food wastage is a major area where focus has to be laid. Farmers’ suicide is a larger issue because I come from Telangana, where the suicide rates were extremely high at one point in time. So, our idea is to help Indian farmers by sending their products to other countries as India has enough produce, while the wastage level is high. Moreover, we realized that the fruits that are consumed are not worth consuming due to the presence of infections in them. So, it gave birth to CCUB, where larger industries are being taken up today.”
Though he believes in the capabilities of cold chain in India, however, notifies the stakeholders that the capital expenditure involved in the cold chain industry is extremely high but the investments received are extremely low. He adds, “If you have 1 kg of cargo in a warehouse and 10 kg or 10 tons of cargo, you still have to run your compressor and electricity. So, I believe that is one area where the government can step in with policies and decision-making.”
CCUB 2023 Awards
Day 1 of Cold Chain Unbroken 2023 ended with an award night, felicitating the sponsors and partners along with recognition awards, a few of which are mentioned below:
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Elyxr
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SkyCell
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Bangalore International Airport Limited
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Turkish Cargo
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Networking Lunch Partner – Air India
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Networking Lunch Partner – Emirates Skycargo
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Va-Q-tec
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Pluss Advanced Technologies Ltd
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Forum of Indian Food Importers
The 'Agriculture World' magazine of Krishi Jagran group was felicitated at the CCUB 2023 for supporting as a media partner.
CCUB 2023 gave away lifetime achievement awards to industry experts for their wavering determination and efforts in their fields.
