Gondal: Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani today said that the his government was working towards introduction of nuclear technology based radiation processing for preservation of food items so that the producers of potato, tomato and onion like items could increase the self life of their produces up to six to seven months.

Talking to newsmen Rupani, who was here to inaugurate the joint Krishi Mahotsav for Rajkot and Morbi district in the local marketing yard said that it was necessary to take measures to increase the self life of quickly perishable food items so that the farmers could get better prices of these items.

‘The government has made provisions to increase the number of cold storages across the state. Apart from these we would also introduce atomic technology (nuclear technology based radiation processing) for preservation of items like Potato, Tomato and Onion. It will increase the self life of these items to up to six to seven months under normal conditions. In such a situation the farmers would be benefitted as they will be in a position to bargain for better prices for their produces,’ the CM said.

Notably, the radiation processing is useful in preservation of food, control of sprouting of items such as potato and onion and control of food-borne diseases. It destroys or inactivates organisms that cause spoilage thereby extending shelf life of certain foods

Earlier while addressing the Krishi Mahotsav event Rupani said that his government would clear the pendency of 1.25 lakh electricity connection to the farmers by the end of 2017. He said that all the farmers who had applied for connection till 2013 would be provided the same. He said that all the 115 dams of Saurashtra would be filled under SAUNI scheme at the earliest ending the concerns of the farmers about availability of water. He also elaborated about the steps of his government taken for the farmers. He said that prosperity of the state was possible only through the prosperity of farmers.

On the occasion Union Minister of State for Food Processing Sadhvi Niranjan Bharti said that the farmers of Gujarat were a role model for farmers of other states. Minister of state for Rural Development Ramkripal Yadav lauded the initiatives of the state government and said that Krishi Mahotsav has been proven to be a turning point for 18000 villages of Gujarat who have inspired numerous farmers across the state and the nation. Gujarat Agriculture Minister Chiman Sapariya and his deputy minister of State for Agriculture Vallabh Vaghasiya, other ministers including Jayanti Kavadiya and state BJP president Jeetu Vaghani were also present on the occasion.

DeshGujarat