kolkata: The state Food Processing Industries & Horticulture (FPI&H) department has taken a major stride in revival of its gamma irradiation project at Chinsurah in Hooghly district that has been lying non-functional since 2004.
A top official of Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology (BRIT) under Bhaba Atomic Research Centre visited the site and assured full assistance in making the unit functional.
The export of fruits, vegetables and betel leaf to US and European countries is expected to receive a big boost with the rejuvenation of this gamma irradiation project.
"There are some countries in US and Europe and Australia too which follow very strict export standards in which killing of bacteria by using the gamma irradiation technology is mandatory. The technology is very specialised and uses Cobalt 60 radiation that improves the shelf life of products and reduce period of ripening of various fruits. CEO BRIT turned up at the site in Chinsurah last month and has agreed to extend support for making this unit functional," Subrata Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary of FPI&H department said.
The building for housing the gamma radiation machine was already there but the machine that had been installed lying defunct due to non use for several years.
The erstwhile Left government had collaborated with Jadavpur University for the project but the latter had allegedly conceived it as an academic project and hence the commercial viability could not be tapped. The project that was conceived in 2004 did not take off. "The export potential of betel leaf (paan), which is cultivated mainly in South 24-Parganas, Nadia and Midnapore, will also receive a big boost with the installation of the gamma irradiation facility. Betel leaf is in huge demand in North America where it is used as an edible vegetable," said a senior official of FPI&H department.
There is no such facility in the entire eastern India. States like Maharashtra and Gujarat have procured mangoes from Bengal and used the gamma irradiation technology to export the stuff to the American countries. Gamma irradiation is used in a variety of applications including sterilisation, decontamination and materials modification. It kills microorganisms of different products in a specially designed cell.