Parliament Question: Kisan Rail and Agricultural Logistics

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4089 TO BE ANSWERED ON 12.08.2026 KISAN RAIL AND AGRICULTURAL LOGISTICS †4089. SHRI RAHUL KASWAN: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has conducted any assessment of the present system of rail transportation, cold chain and agricultural logistics for agriculture, dairy, horticulture and other perishable products and if so, the major findings thereof; (b) the details of the present progress of schemes related to Kisan Rail and agricultural logistics along with their impact on farmers' participation and transportation costs; (c) whether the Government has formulated a comprehensive strategy to reduce the transportation cost of agricultural produce, ensure timely access to markets and provide better prices to farmers and if so, the details thereof; and (d) whether the Government proposes to expand rail-based cold storage, goods terminals and agricultural logistics infrastructure in agricultural production areas and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW) (a) to (d): Regular interactions are held by Zonal Railways with concerned local agencies involved in transportation of agricultural products and other perishables. Besides, Business Development Units functional in Zonal Railways also interact with various stakeholders to assess the business requirement including transportation of perishables. § Page 1 of 3Since its launch in August 2020, a total of 2,364 Kisan Rail services have operated on 167 routes across various states. Further, to facilitate movement of highly perishable commodities, provision has been made for introduction of refrigerated parcel vans. 20 such refrigerated parcel vans are under production, and based on demand and future requirements more vans shall be added to railway rolling-stock. Steps have also been taken to promote transportation of agricultural produce, especially food grain in containers, which is a safe and efficient intermodal mean of transport. To facilitate transportation of food grain, flour and pulses in container, a per-kilometer based pricing system (instead of commodity class and distance slab based freight system) has been recently adopted. Under the Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals (GCT) policy, improved rail connectivity and modern cargo handling infrastructure are facilitated for a wide range of commodities including agricultural produce. The development of GCTs has enhanced rail freight movement through faster and more efficient loading/unloading, reduced first-mile and last-mile logistics costs, improved wagon turnaround, and facilitated modal shift of freight from road to rail. The policy has enabled creation of warehousing, silos, cold storage and other value-added logistics facilities. This has enhanced the competitiveness of local agricultural industries and farmers while generating employment and promoting regional economic development. So far, 142 Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals (GCTs) have been commissioned with an estimated freight handling capacity of 224 million tonnes per annum (MTPA). The policy has mobilized private investment of approximately ₹10,000 crore through these GCTs. In addition to above, In-Principle Approvals (IPAs) have been granted for the development of GCTs at 310 more locations. Page 2 of 3Further, policy guidelines on cargo related facility (CRF) allow for development of value-added logistics infrastructure including warehouses, silos, cold storage, sorting, grading, packaging and aggregation facilities on spare-able railway land in proximity of existing terminals. Such facilities help preserve the quality of agricultural produce, reduce post-harvest losses, improve supply chain efficiency, facilitate seamless multimodal logistics and provide farmers with better access to markets through efficient rail-based transportation. ***** Page 3 of 3