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Ayekart Rise Foundation, cKinetics partner to scale green micro cold storage in Maharashtra
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Tuesday, 24 February, 2026, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, New Delhi
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Ayekart Rise Foundation (ARISE) and cKinetics have announced a strategic partnership under the Scaling Up of Green Agri-focused Micro Cold Storage Solutions (SUGAM-CSS) programme to strengthen market linkages and improve the long-term viability of green micro cold storage solutions in Maharashtra.
The collaboration was unveiled at the India State Climate Investment Forum 2026 (ISCIF 2026) during a roundtable on blended finance structures for strengthening community livelihoods and health outcomes through distributed renewable energy. Debarshi Dutta, Director of Ayekart Rise Foundation and CEO of Ayekart, highlighted the initiative’s focus on building clean, distributed cooling infrastructure at the first mile of the fruits and vegetables value chain.
The SUGAM-CSS programme aims to reduce post-harvest losses and enhance farmer incomes through an integrated solution that includes infrastructure deployment, financing innovation for start-ups and young Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), and robust market access support.
Under the partnership, Arise will act as the market-linkage partner for SUGAM-CSS-enabled micro cold storage units in Maharashtra. Leveraging Ayekart’s buyer network, the foundation will connect farmers, FPOs and rural entrepreneurs to organised buyers such as aggregators, processors, organised retail chains, quick commerce platforms and exporters. The objective is to improve asset utilisation, strengthen price realisation and ensure predictable demand for stored produce.
Beyond Maharashtra, Arise will also support the rollout of green micro cold storage solutions in Uttar Pradesh, expanding the programme’s reach across key horticulture clusters.
cKinetics managing director Upendra Bhatt said reliable market access is essential to ensure renewable-powered micro cold storage remains financially viable. The partnership, he added, is designed to enhance utilisation and revenue stability, enabling scalable and sustainable climate-aligned agricultural solutions.
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