Every year GCCA Africa presents its conference in South Africa . It is an interesting forum where major players in the cold chain industry meet to network and discuss trends and future issues .
CONTRIBUTORS
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
GCCA Africa Conference
2024 Cape Town .
There was a whole load of statistics which could make your head spin . The one that should interest us greatly is food waste , especially in Africa . We need to invest in supplying this food waste to the worldwide market . With the right approach and commitment , Africa could become the breadbasket of the world .
The world population is still expanding at a rate and is expected to reach 10 billion by 2050 , of which 68 % is expected to be urbanised . These guys are going to need feeding . With people moving off the land there will need to be a more productive industry with a more efficient cold chain to process , transport and distribute foodstuff . Currently we are looking at a waste level of between 30 to 40 % due to a lack of an efficient cold chain . This revolves around the need for reliable electricity , better road transport conditions , access to cooling systems and training . An effective cold chain will play a major role in food security and economic growth for the region .
GCCA and its members believe that the cold chain story in Africa is one of reliance and innovation in parts , but overall , it ’ s a story of unfulfilled potential . This is what must and will change to deliver the foundation of growth and prosperity that
By Andrew Perks
Every year GCCA Africa presents its conference in South Africa . It is an interesting forum where major players in the cold chain industry meet to network and discuss trends and future issues .
the continent deserves . There is a new awareness of the importance of cold chain logistics across the world post Covid-19 . GCCA is a major player in bringing together stake holders in the industry , but they cannot solve the problem alone . It was quoted “ Hillary did not climb Mount Everest alone ”, he had lots of help . We need to network with governments and industry . The African Continental Free Trade Agreement provides the foundation for a transformation of the African economy . It will shape the future of the African cold chain by increasing exports of temperaturecontrolled products between countries , urban centres and communities within Africa . The cold chain can be the arteries of the renewed life system of the African economy , however , as you can imagine there are major stumbling blocks that need to be overcome .
One of the areas that was discussed at length was AgriCULTURE . No , I have not spelt it wrong the CULTURE part of the word is the prime reference . A new culture needs to be developed where we are looking at agriculture and developing ways and means of improving efficiencies , improving yields and minimising loss . This brings me straight back to my favourite topic : ammonia . How many of you know that ammonia is injected straight into the soil to act as a fertiliser . Well , it is .
Ammonia ’ s chemical composition is NH 3
.
That ’ s 1 particle of nitrogen and 3 particles of hydrogen . Yes , smelly old ammonia has lots of applications . When injected into the soil the nitrogen acts as a fertiliser . Ammonia Safety and Training Institute ( ASTI ) believes that up to 48 % of the world ’ s population is fed due to the impact of ammonia increasing the world ’ s agricultural productivity .
Think about it , ammonia can be used as a fertiliser to increase food production and as an energy source to reduce the impact of fossil fuels on the world ’ s environment . I know you are going to say that the carbon impact of producing ammonia is a major player but with the new procedure of synthesising it using only air , water and renewable energy , Green Ammonia is a major player in the energy field .
The food system , including agriculture , is the dominant source of employment for people across Africa , especially women . Cold-chain advancement will have a direct impact on hundreds of millions of lives bringing work while delivering food to the table . We all need to get behind this initiative . CLA
Andrew Perks is a subject expert in ammonia refrigeration . Since undertaking his apprenticeship in Glasgow in the 1960s he has held positions of contracts engineer , project engineer , refrigeration design engineer , company director for a refrigeration contracting company and eventually owning his own contracting company and low temperature cold store . He is now involved in adding skills to the ammonia industry , is merSETA accredited and has written a variety of unit standards for SAQA that define the levels to be achieved in training in our industry .
GCCA and their members believe that the cold chain story in Africa is one of reliance and innovation .
24 www . coldlinkafrica . co . za COLD LINK AFRICA • October 2024