Despite India being one of the biggest producers of paddy, wheat, oilseeds, milk, fish, fruits and vegetables, post-harvest losses of these produce remain high over the global standard which impacts the yield and farmers face losses. According to a Nabard study, in 2022, the losses after harvesting of the vegetables till it reaches consumers are estimated in the range of 4.87%-11.61% and that of fruits is in the range of 6.02%-15.05%. Although there are several measures being taken to reduce losses at the farm level, introduction of advanced cooling technology by an Israeli startup in the climate and agri-tech space, Natural Offset Farming (NOF), could change the scenario in coming years.
NOF’s patented technology utilises liquid C02 and provides a ‘cooling-as-service’, multiple-use value model for farmers. “NOFcooling is a patented cooling device that utilises CO2 in its liquid state to produce cooling energy, providing a energy-efficient way to cool any medium in precision agriculture. The equipment has a treatment capacity of 500 kg, 200 kg or 100 kg of fruits and vegetables. There is no reliance on electricity for its operation,” said Yoni Ben Zaken, the co-founder and chief business development officer at NOF. The company has received queries for its cooling technology from big retailers like Big Basket and Reliance Fresh.
“We have introduced this cooling technology in Maharashtra with cucumbers, strawberries and grapes. We are also working with farmers in Haryana, mainly with vegetables and mushrooms. The cooling technique has been found to be successful in mangoes, litches and flowers as it shifts CO2 from the emitters to the field, by addressing farmer’s cooling needs,” he added.
The company, which recently demonstrated the NOF cooling technology in Bihar for litchi fruit, has also engaged with Mother Dairy on enhancing the shelf-life of apricot from Leh. The fruit has only three days of shelf life which is not enough to bring it to bigger markets like Delhi. When the farmers keep their harvest inside the NOF device for a couple hours for treatment, CO2 liquid treatment reduces pathogens and bacteria to develop in the fruits and vegetables thus enhancing the shelf life.
NOF officials claimed that the shelf life of strawberries in Satara district in Maharashtra increased from 2-3 days to 7-8 days thus effectively increasing the yield. The results used for grapes in Nashik, Maharashtra has been equally encouraging. NOF is making its cooling device available to the farmers at a modest price of `12,000. “We have developed this cooling machine keeping in consideration Indian smallholders’ farmers,” Zakne added.
