Lok Sabha Question No. 1857 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-07
Subject: Radiation Technologies for the Prevention of Food Loss
Ministry: ATOMIC ENERGY
Asked by: MEENAKASHI LEKHI, C.S. PUTTARAJU

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF ATOMIC ENERGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1857

TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.03.2018

## RADIATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE PREVENTION OF FOOD LOSS

1857.  SHRIMATI  MEENAKASHI  LEKHI: SHRI C.S. PUTTA RAJU:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  is  conducting  any  research  to  develop  technologies  that prevent  food  loss  in  post  harvest  stage  and  if  so,  the  details  and  the  outcomes thereof;
- (b) whether use of radiation techniques has helped in increasing the food production in the country, if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) whetherany  proposal  is  pending  with  the  Government  to  extend  this  facility  across  the country and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

THE  MINISTER  OF  STATE  FOR  PERSONNEL,  PUBLIC  GRIEVANCES  & PENSIONS AND PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE (Dr. JITENDRA SINGH) :

- (a) Yes,  Sir.    Department  of  Atomic  Energy  (DAE)  &Bhabha  Atomic  Research  Centre (BARC) in particular is engaged in extensive research on use of radiation processing for  extending  shelf  life  of  food  products.  Irradiation  is  very  effective  in  treating agricultural  produce  to  enhance  its  shelf  life.  Shelf  life  extension  of  agriculture produces is  very  much dependent  on  the  produce,  variety  and  storage  conditions. Irradiation  and  proper  storage  substantially  increases  shelf  life  of  fresh  agricultural produce.  Unique  advantages  of  radiation  processing  of  products  (including  fruits, vegetables, cereals, pulses, spices, sea foods and meat products) are:
- Cold (no temperature increase) and clean process (no chemical residue)
- Effective elimination of harmful bacteria and insects/pests
- Treatment after final packaging to avoid recontamination
- Significant increase in shelf life.

Research work on radiation technology at BARC has resulted in shelf life extension of potato, onion and phytosanitary treatments of fruits (like Mango, Pomegranate,etc).  In  case  of  potato  and  onion,  sprouting  during  storage  results  in loss of quality and nutritional values. Mango irradiation was started in 2007.

Around  1150  tons  of  mangos  were  radiation  treated  in  2017  for  export  to  USA. Recently the harmonisation of food irradiation rules with the international regulation has taken place in India. This has provided class wise clearance of irradiated food items which will enable the large scale deployment of this technology.

- (b) Yes, Sir.  Application of nuclear techniques has helped in increasing productivity and production in agriculture. Experience gained by BARC has shown that using radiation for  crop  improvement  is  an  efficient  plant  breeding  method  complementing  the conventional methods.

DAE has developed 42 new varieties of crops using radiation induced mutation (and conventional) breeding. These include 15 varieties in groundnut, 3 in mustard, 2 in soybean, 1 in sunflower (total 21 in oilseeds),  8  in mungbean,  5  in  uradbean,  5  in pigeonpea, 1 in cowpea (total 19 in pulse crops), 1 each in rice and jute. The major desirable  traits  in  these  crops  include  higher  yield,  seed  size,  improved  agronomic and quality traits, early maturity and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Several of  these  varieties  enjoy high  patronage among the farming community.  Several of these varieties are extensively cultivated in the country & contribute substantially to the total agricultural production in the country. BARC is also involved in breeder seed multiplication  of  its  released  varieties  in  the  case  of  crops  such  as  groundnuts  & pulses.

Nuclear  techniques  have  benefited  the  farmers,  traders  and  end-users  and  will continue to play a significant role in addressing food and nutritional security of our country.

- (c)     Two  technology demonstration  plants  were  set up based  on R&D carried out at BARC:
- i. First is KRUSHAK at Lasalgaon, Nashik, Maharashtra for low dose radiation treatment to take care of sprout inhibition and quarantine treatment of fresh produce (such as mango).
- ii. Second is at Vashi, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra (Radiation Processing Plant, RPP) for high dose irradiation with the purpose of microbial decontamination of products (such as spices, herbal products and pet food).

Success of these plants led to the subsequent establishment of one plant each by the  Government  of  Gujarat  (Gujarat  Agro  at  Bavala)  &  Maharashtra  (MSAMB  at Vashi, Navi Mumbai) and eleven irradiation plants in the private sector. Fifteen plants established in country to cater to the demands of the internal market as well as for exports (refer Annexure-1). These plants are set up under the guidance of Board of Radiation & Isotope Technology(BRIT) under the Department of Atomic Energy.

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## Annexure-1

## Answer for Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No.1857

|   S. No. | Name of the Plant                                                       | Purpose                            |   Commissioning Year |
|----------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------|----------------------|
|        1 | Radiation Processing Plant, BRIT, Vashi, Navi Mumbai                    | Food and allied products           |                 2000 |
|        2 | *KRUSHAK Irradiator, Lasalgaon, Nashik ,Maharashtra                     | Food Products                      |                 2002 |
|        3 | M/S Organic Green Foods Ltd., Dankuni, Kolkata, West Bengal             | Food, Packaging& Medical Products  |                 2004 |
|        4 | M/S A.V. Processors Pvt. Ltd., Ambernath (E), Thane, Maharashtra        | Food &Medical Products             |                 2005 |
|        5 | M/S Universal Medicap Ltd., Vadodara, Gujarat                           | Food &Medical Products             |                 2005 |
|        6 | M/S. Microtrol, Bangalore, Karnataka                                    | Food &Medical Products             |                 2006 |
|        7 | *M/S Agrosurg Irradiators, Vasai, Thane, Maharashtra                    | Food, Packaging& Medical Products  |                 2008 |
|        8 | M/S GammaAgro Medical Processing, Hyderabad, Telangana                  | Food &Medical Products             |                 2008 |
|        9 | *M/S Jhunsons Chemicals Pvt Ltd., Bhiwadi, Rajasthan                    | Agro, Medical & Packaging Products |                 2010 |
|       10 | M/S InnovaAgri Bio Park Ltd., Malur, Dist. Kolar, Karnataka             | Food& Medical Products             |                 2011 |
|       11 | *M/S Hindustan Agro Co- Operative Ltd., Rahuri, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra | Onion &Other Agricultural Produces |                 2012 |
|       12 | M/S Impartial Agro Tech (P) Ltd., Unnao, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh         | Food& Medical Products             |                 2014 |
|       13 | *M/S Gujarat Agro Industries Corpn. Ltd, Bavla, Ahmedabad, Gujarat      | Food Products                      |                 2014 |
|       14 | M/s Aligned Industries, Dharuhera, Rewari, Haryana                      | Food Products                      |                 2015 |
|       15 | *Maharashtra State Agricultural Mktg. Board, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra   | Food Products                      |                 2015 |