Workshop on Cool Chains held

A Workshop on Clean and Energy Efficient Cooling for the Livestock Value Chains in Bangladesh was organized on 26 June 2022 at Hotel Pan Pacific Sonargaon, Dhaka. It was Jointly organized by the Livestock and Dairy Development Project (LDDP), Department of Livestock Services (DLS) under Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, and the World Bank.

Mr. S M Rezaul Karim MP, Honorable Minister, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, joined the workshop as the Chief Guest. Dr. Mohammad Yamin Chowdhury, Secretary, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock graced the occasion as the Special Guest while Dr. Monjur Mohammad Shahjada, Director General, Department of Livestock Services Chaired the event.

The workshop aimed to disseminate the outcome of WB recent study on the technically and financially feasible as well as climate-friendly cooling solutions for the meat and dairy value chains in Bangladesh.

World Bank has a partnership with the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP). ESMAP conducted the study with an objective to scope the needs for cooling in the meat and dairy value chains and advise on technically and financially feasible cooling solutions that would help promote the adoption of efficient and more climate-friendly cold chains.

The study has (1) undertaken a comprehensive diagnostic of the needs for cold chain systems or elements in the overall livestock value chains, and (2) identified climate-friendly solutions/recommendations.

Around 15 recommendations came out from the study as bellow:

1. Implement a national awareness raising campaign among the producers and consumers.
2. Ensuring greater compliance with the health and safety to improve the health outcome and encourage more private sector entry into the markets.
3. Ensuring proper vaccination of livestock; slaughter, collection, and preservation of milk and meat under safe environments.
4. Attention must turn towards curbing the cross-border informal trade of cattle and meat.
5. Central facilities (village milk collection centers) where farmers can take milk to be chilled and where milk can be hygienically inspected seems a good option and has been proven by dairies in the current formal milk cold chain. Such facilities should ideally incorporate renewable resources such as solar PV with energy thermal storage (ice bank or ice battery) to maximize energy resources and also overcome any grid integrity issues.
6. The location should be optimized to enable as many farmers as possible to have reasonably easy access to the chilling facility.
7. The installation of very large, centralized abattoirs needs careful consideration as it may mean that animals must travel long distances to be slaughtered.
8. Irrespective of abattoir size, the facilities should be installed to a standard that include animal welfare aspects, such as proper stunning before slaughter.
9. The use of low or zero-GWP refrigerants and installation of energy efficient systems should be encouraged.
10. Encouraging private sector entry is necessary as the scope for cold-chain expansion in the livestock value-chain in Bangladesh is enormous.
11. Lowering custom duty on import of cooling and other equipment is to be considered
12. Encouraging local assembly and manufacture production of smaller and simpler cooling equipment such as milk-chillers, refrigerators, transport vehicles, etc will help boosting these sectors.
13. To ensure that all parts are working properly and in unison, set-up of training facilities is very necessary.
14. Make financing accessible through several business model such as cooling -as-a-service model, pay-as-you-go model, income generating model, etc.
15. Creation of a focal point such as “value chain inter-professional body “for dairy and meat sub-sectors for policymaking and oversight is a good option. This could help develop awareness and finance clean cold chain development.

Distinguished participants, Officials and representatives from the MoFL, DLS, LDDP, World Bank, Professors, Researchers and entrepreneurs discussed on the findings and recommendations and expressed their opinions.

Among others, the PD and CTC of LDDP and Christian Berger of World Bank Spoke on the occasion while Siddika Bhuiyan Mishu, Consultant, WB presented the Keynote paper.