Indian fruit trader IG International has inaugurated its recently acquired cold store facility in Mumbai, in a ceremony involving representatives from leading Washington State apple and cherry company Stemilt Growers.

In a release, IG said the 4,000-pallet facility with 5,000 square meters of space on a 7,000 square meter plot was previously operated by leading cold chain company Kelvin, but now it would be used for the handling and storage of fresh produce.

The facility can maintain temperatures ranging from -20°C (-4°F) to 20°C (68°F). 

IG International director said the acquisition made his group the second-largest cold chain company in India.

"Looking at the yearly growth in the fresh produce sector, our goal is to become the largest cold chain company in India in the fresh produce industry by the year 2020 with a total capacity of 65,000 pallets," Arora said.

The newly inaugurated operation is the company's fourth facility in Mumbai, while the group also has facilities in Panvel, Bangalore, Chennai, Amravati, Jaipur, Ganaur and Chandigarh.

Future plans include the upcoming project at Krishnapatnam which will be up and ready to use by March, while other ventures include facilities in Kolkata and Delhi.

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