Anantnag, Sep 17: Four years after a 5,000-metric-tonne controlled-atmosphere (CA) cold store at Rambirpora was put to tender, the Jammu and Kashmir Horticulture Produce Marketing and Processing Corporation Limited (JKHPMC) has floated a fresh tender for a facility of the same capacity at the same location.

The latest tender seeks design, construction, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of a new 5,000-MT CA cold store under a greenfield project at Rambirpora. The estimated cost is ₹32.22 crore, with a completion period of 365 days.
The bid submission deadline has been extended to September 25, 2026, while bids are scheduled to be opened on September 28.
The development has raised questions among stakeholders about the status of the earlier project.
In July 2022, JKHPMC had invited bids for a 5,000-MT CA store at Rambirpora at an estimated cost of ₹26.71 crore. The project included site development, demolition, foundation works, a pre-engineered steel structure and allied buildings and equipment. The tender reportedly underwent several deadline extensions, with the final submission date set for September 24, 2022.
A JKHPMC presentation to its Board in August 2022 had also identified Rambirpora as one of two proposed 5,000-MT CA stores, with the other planned at Behrampora in Baramulla. It also listed a 2,500-MT CA store at Dobagah, Sopore, as part of the corporation's cold-chain infrastructure programme.
However, the 2026 tender again describes the Rambirpora facility as a “new 5000 MT Controlled Atmosphere Cold Store under Greenfield.”
Publicly accessible tender records reviewed for the report do not establish whether the 2022 project was awarded, whether work commenced, whether any expenditure was incurred, or whether the tender was cancelled or redesigned. They also do not clarify whether the latest tender is an entirely new project or a revival or re-tendering of the earlier proposal.
The estimated project cost has also risen from ₹26.71 crore in 2022 to ₹32.22 crore in 2026—a difference of ₹5.51 crore, or about 20.6 per cent. The figures alone, however, do not establish the reason for the increase, as technical specifications and market conditions may have changed.
For apple growers, the issue is significant as CA storage can extend the marketing window and help reduce pressure to sell immediately after harvest.
Stakeholders have sought clarification from JKHPMC and horticulture authorities on the status of the 2022 project, any expenditure incurred, and the reason the same-capacity facility is again being described as a new greenfield project.
The latest tender provides 365 days for completion after commencement, with stakeholders now watching whether the proposed facility finally moves from tender stage to an operational cold-storage unit.