Gandhinagar: For the first time, more than two lakh kilograms of Kesar mangoes have been e-irradiated and exported through the Gujarat Agro Radiation Processing Facility Unit, established near Ahmedabad in Bawla said Agriculture Minister Raghavjibhai Patel.

The Agriculture Minister further mentioned that the Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation Ltd., owned by the State Agriculture Department, established this radiation processing unit under the National Agricultural Development Scheme with a cost of Rs. 20 crores. The unit was set up with guidance and technical support from the Bhabha Atomic Research Center and the Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology. In 2022, the unit became the first USDA-APHIS certified e-radiation unit in Gujarat and the fourth in the country approved by the United States Department of Agriculture-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS).

The minister said that following the USDA-APHIS approval for the e-irradiation unit, over two lakh kilograms of Kesar mangoes were e-irradiated and exported to countries including America and South Africa during the first summer season. Previously, in order to export fruits like mangoes, Gujarat farmers had to travel to Mumbai for gamma e-irradiation of the fruits, resulting in fruit wastage and increased transportation costs. Now, with the operation of this unit in Ahmedabad-Bawla, farmers can undergo gamma e-irradiation locally and receive good prices for their export crops.

Minister Patel further mentioned that the Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation has established three major infrastructure facilities, namely the Gamma Irradiation Unit, Integrated Pack House, and Perishable Air Cargo Complex, necessary for mango exports in the Ahmedabad district. The combined utilization of these three facilities, following the USDA-APHIS approval, is benefiting farmers by ensuring the quality of mangoes and pomegranates, preventing spoilage, and reducing transportation costs. The minister encouraged farmers in the state to make maximum use of these facilities in the future. DeshGujarat