Flow + demand mappingNamed crop weeks, arrival, dwell and buyer windows
Scope first
Test the servicebefore choosingcapacity
Measure produce arrivals, waiting times and buyer requirements before deciding whether cooling is needed.
Before capacity
Start with what arrives
Produce arrives unevenly and waits for handling, transport and buyers. Cooling only makes sense where enough of that flow would use it.
Aug 2025100 farmer units reported launched
Jan 2026Further units entered procurement
Jun–Jul 2026Larger network ambitions announced
Public pipeline activity shows where to look. Operating status, reach and crop fit still determine usable supply.
Crop Intelligence · 2024–25
Crop patterns shape capacity
Potato is concentrated, vegetables are dispersed, and mango clusters differently again. A fixed cold-chain assumption can fit one crop window and miss another.
Potato
Vegetables
Mango
Potato2024–25 recorded production · 11.57m t
52.6%Top-5 district share
#1 district: Rangpur · 1.48m t.
Vegetables2024–25 recorded production · 6.28m t
23.4%Top-5 district share
#1 district: Chattogram · 379k t.
Mango2024–25 recorded production · 1.81m t
60.9%Top-5 district share
#1 district: Chapainawabganj · 412k t.
District production shows where to test. Actual loads determine capacity.
Capacity follows use
Size the service from use
Adjust the assumptions to see how much capacity would be used. One tonne-day means one tonne held for one day.
Modelled use
5.0 tof 10 t installed capacity occupied on an average day
At 55% occupancy and 90% uptime, modelled use reaches about half of a 10-tonne design.
Occupied tonne-days / month149
Unfilled tonne-days / month122
Indicative turns / month7.4
Fixed assumption Average waiting time · 2 days
Loads arrive, wait and move out. Each column is a day, each row a tenth of design capacity.
- Arrives
- Waits · 2-day dwell
- Moves out
- Service down
- Unfilled
Model illustration, not a forecast. Field measurements of arrivals and waiting time will replace it.
Demand, operator and final cost require field confirmation.
First commission
What the validation delivers
Four decision outputs before permanent equipment is specified.
- Capacity-days mapArrival, dwell, peak demand and low-season use.
- Alternatives appraisalHandling, local cooling, shared capacity or no permanent build.
- Operator economicsTariff, uptime, repair response and service ownership.
- First-site recommendationA documented Build, Resize, Defer or No build decision.
Field check
Validate the service in the field
- VolumeHow much produce actually arrives during the peak?
- TimeHow long does it wait, and when does cooling matter?
- UseWho would use the service, how often, and in the low season?
- OperationWho can run it reliably, and what would users pay?
- BuyerWhat condition, timing and route does the buyer require?
Booking → settlement clock
One operating record across the service route
- BookNamed load + arrival window
- ReceiveWeight + condition recorded
- CoolTemperature + dwell
- ReleaseDispatch time + route
- AcceptRecord acceptance or rejection
- SettlePayment closes the record
The smallest justified response may be better handling, local cooling, shared capacity or no permanent build.
Build · Resize · Defer · No build
Allocation
Sequence before spend
No permanent-asset budget is published before validation is complete. Colour identifies workstream, not spending share.
Alternatives + service testsHandling, cooling and shared-capacity responses
TestOperator economicsTariff, uptime, repair and service responsibility
ModelFirst-cluster decisionMandate the smallest viable intervention
DecideNo percentage split is published. Cost shares follow confirmation of the validation scope, sites and fieldwork.
Evidence notes
Public pipeline: 2025–26 launches, tenders and announcements indicate continued national activity. They do not prove operating status, utilisation or commercial sustainability; field mapping must verify each facility.
Sustainable-cooling hierarchy: World Bank guidance prioritises demand reduction, efficiency and system-level business models before expanding supply.
Cold-chain constraints: IFC links weak business models, financing, electricity and fragmented movement. Cooling-as-a-service remains one model to test, with mixed reported scaling outcomes.
Hardware comes last
Validate crops, routes and loads before any permanent asset is sized.