A recently-opened Centre for Perishable Cargo (CPC) at India’s Cochin International Airport (CIAL) is expected to boost the airport’s perishable cargo volumes, which currently lag behind the two other airports in Kerala state, reports The Hindu.

CIAL officials hope the new facility will also improve Cochin’s world standing in the cargo industry by attracting global players and international freighter aircraft, the article said.

“The company has already placed an order for 50 containers and after they arrive, there will be a quantum jump in the total volume of perishable cargo exports from here,” George Koshy, officer on special duty, CIAL, is quoted as saying.

With the new CPC, which has capacity to handle around 25,000 tonnes of cargo annually, CIAL aims to increase its present volume of agricultural exports from 10,000 tonnes to 30,000 tonnes by 2015, he said.

CIAL company officials expect the new 22,000ft2 facility will encourage farming for export in the surrounding area through production agreements with exporters, as well as a proliferation of sorting and packing centres in the state.

A proposed plant quarantine centre at the centre will ensure export quality is maintained, officials said.

The CPC has facilities for temperature and humidity control, and three separate cold stores with total of capacity of around 30 tonnes.

Installation of the Electronic Data Interchange Message Exchange Services (EDIMES) to enforce an IT- enabled Customs clearance system along with the CPC has already begun. “The hardware installation is almost complete and after providing due training in software and some related activities to the staff, the system is expected to be operational by the end of April or May,” officials said.

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