Cold chain access in rural Asia: A better farm to table future
30 Aug 20258 min read
Summary
- Most of Asia’s fresh food still begins in small farms and fishing villages, but weak infrastructure and unreliable cold storage cause major losses before products reach consumers. With over 40 percent of food loss occurring post-harvest, DP World’s Glen Hilton highlights the urgent need to extend cold chain systems deeper into rural areas as urbanisation accelerates and demand for freshness rises.
- Building reliable cold chains remains complex and costly, with high energy needs, uneven regulation and fragmented supply chains slowing progress. DP World’s initiatives in Malaysia, Australia and along the Mekong River show that investment in faster routes, efficient storage and digital monitoring can cut waste, extend shelf life and raise farmer income.
- Innovation and policy support are shaping the next stage. Solar-powered cooling, mobile cold rooms and IoT tracking are making cold chains viable for small producers, while ASEAN-wide standards and government incentives can unlock wider access. The path forward lies in treating cold chain infrastructure as essential to food security and rural prosperity, ensuring freshness and value reach from the first mile to the final market.
Most of Asia’s fresh food starts in small fields, family plots and coastal villages. A large share never reaches city tables in good condition. Heat, long delays and patchy transport erase freshness and shrink the income farmers can earn. Closing that gap will depend on building reliable cold chain systems that reach the places where food is grown and caught.“Without such reliable infrastructure, we risk spoilage, leading to potential food loss and income reduction for producers,” says Glen Hilton, CEO and Managing Director, Asia Pacific, DP World. This concern is particularly relevant for exports, where delays in transport and inadequate storage can lead to rejected shipments and lost opportunities in overseas markets. He points to growing urbanisation as a reason to act fast. By 2030, an estimated 55 percent of Asia’s population will live in cities, and food will have to travel farther and stay fresher for longer.
Innovations at the edge
Technology is making cold chains cheaper and more flexible for rural contexts. Solar-powered cold rooms combine photovoltaic panels with ice battery or thermal storage to provide off-grid refrigeration. These systems cut reliance on unstable grids and limit operating costs over time.
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“Renewable-powered cold storage has the potential to transform rural supply chains,” Hilton notes. “It reduces the dependency on unreliable grid power and makes it economically viable for small-scale producers.”
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