Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Friday, June 5, 2026, launched a JICA-funded Post-Harvest Management and Cold Chain Centre in Panchkula, laying the foundation stone for a facility aimed at reducing agricultural losses across the state. The event, streamed live, marks a significant step in India-Japan bilateral development cooperation for agri-logistics infrastructure in Haryana.

Context

The ceremony centred on the foundation stone laying of a Post-Harvest Management and Cold Chain Centre in Panchkula, a district forming part of the Chandigarh tricity area with strong connectivity to major agricultural markets. The project is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Japan's primary bilateral development agency, which has partnered with Indian states on cold-chain and agri-infrastructure projects since the early 2000s. Chief Minister Saini's presence at the launch underscores the state government's priority on reducing post-harvest crop losses.

Policy Backdrop

India loses an estimated 30 to 40 per cent of fruits, vegetables, and dairy produce to post-harvest inefficiencies — a challenge that cold-chain infrastructure directly addresses. Haryana's agricultural policy since 2018 has emphasised food-processing clusters and cold storage networks, a thrust that aligns with the central government's Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme launched in 2020. The JICA-funded facility at Panchkula fits into this broader national and state-level push for modernising agri-supply chains.

JICA has expanded its India portfolio steadily over recent decades, with agri-logistics emerging as a key focus area alongside urban infrastructure. The Panchkula centre is expected to integrate into Haryana's existing network of mandis and food-processing parks, providing grading, storage, and logistics support for perishable produce from across the region.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries of the new facility are Haryana's farmers, particularly those cultivating perishable horticulture crops, who stand to gain from reduced spoilage and better price realisation through improved storage and grading infrastructure. Food processing units in and around Panchkula are also expected to benefit from a more reliable and modern supply chain. The project reflects a model of externally funded, state-implemented infrastructure that can be replicated across other districts.

For Japan, the investment deepens bilateral economic ties with India in a sector where both countries have identified mutual interest — Japan bringing technology and capital, India offering scale and agricultural output. The cooperation also signals confidence in Haryana as a destination for development finance in the agriculture sector.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to construction milestones and the commissioning timeline for the Panchkula centre, as well as any announcements regarding additional JICA-supported cold-chain nodes in other Haryana districts. If the Panchkula facility demonstrates measurable reductions in post-harvest losses, it could serve as a template for scaling similar infrastructure across the state's horticulture and dairy belts, reinforcing Haryana's position as a model for agri-modernisation in northern India.