RMC's Cold Storage Initiative ensures steady income for Women Vegetable Vendors

By: WE Staff | Friday, 1 October 2021

The Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) has launched a cold storage initiative with the goal of ensuring a steady income for women vegetable vendors by reducing waste and preventing distress sales. A women's self-help organisation is in charge of the project, which is part of Bloomberg Philanthropies' Championship Phase of the 2021 Global Mayors Challenge (SHG).

In June of this year, Rourkela was named one of 50 champion cities throughout the world as a result of this project, which aimed to supply roughly 700 street vendors selling vegetables and fruits, largely women, with solar-powered cold storage units and electric trucks for distribution. The project also aims to encourage women to start businesses.

The project, which has been begun on a pilot basis in Chhend Colony with a 10-tonne cold storage facility, is being led by RMC's external partner Koel Fresh Pvt Ltd (KFPL). Ashutosh Nayak, KFPL's chief executive officer, stated a woman SHG was trained and hired to run the project. So far, 230 women vendors have signed up, with 40 already taking advantage of the service.

Because vegetables are perishable items, local sellers and farmers sell roughly 30% of their unsold stock for throwaway costs to avoid spoilage. The secure storage will avoid wastage and, as a result, increase their earnings, according to Nayak, who added that the registered vendors had also given the SHG permission to sell their stock to cafes and restaurants at the best possible price.

“If everything goes as per plan, solar-powered cold storage facilities would be set up at 10 locations in the city. A project implementation report would be submitted by October 31. We hope the project will help us get into the final 15 winners,” he added.

Each winner will receive a one-million-dollar prize as well as multi-year technical assistance to help them implement and develop their projects. The project, according to RMC Commissioner Dibyajyoti Parida, is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.