Ajit Panicker
President, Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Trade Association (RATA)

RATA is a 70 year old association focused on the development of entrepreneurs in the field of HVAC&R. Over the years we have consistently grown, and reach over 7000 small and medium enterprises in the field of air conditioning and refrigeration across India. The association has companies as its members and is a meeting place for owners to discuss their challenges and grow together. RATA is focused on the techno-commercial aspect of running an HVACnR enterprise and works in areas like new business opportunities, business challenges, government interactions, tax laws and labour laws.

RATA works closely with GST department to help trade members understand the changes required and also explain to the authorities the opportunities the trade holds and the advantages of having a lower GST rate on HVACnR products. The HVACnR industry is expected to grow eight-fold in the next two decades and holds tremendous opportunity for existing businesses to scale up, attract new entrepreneurs to the business and create millions of jobs in India.

The cold chain industry in India is at a nascent stage and will grow geometrically in the next few years. Cold chain infrastructure development is critical in the process of getting our food from the farm to the fork. REFCOLD is an industry event that showcases the opportunity the refrigeration industry holds for new businesses. RATA wholeheartedly supports this initiative by ISHRAE,and will continue to help REFCOLD become a premier refrigeration show of the country.

www.rataindia.com is a trade portal that helps RATA members increase their business across India. We invite entrepreneurs to join our movement. The RATA movement is not just to encourage startups in the HVACnR business but also to scale up existing businesses.