Technology to preserve onions to be discussed

To deal with high prices of vegetables, especially in lean seasons, the government has called an inter-ministerial meeting on Wednesday to discuss the possibility of using irradiation technology to increase the shelf life of perishable commodities such as onions and potatoes.

When the idea was first mooted, the plan was to use the technology to increase the durability of onion. However, Rural Development Minister Nitin Gadkari, who will head Wednesday's meeting, is of the opinion that the technology be deployed in other agriculture produce as well, officials said.

"Radioactive technology will not only enable in enhancing shelf life but also provide value proposition to farmers and consumer alike," said a key official.

The idea was first broached when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the prime minister, under whose regime the first irradiation centre - the Krushi Utpadan Sanrakshan Kendra - was set up in Nashik, the hub of India's onion trade.

Since 2002 - when the Centre was inaugurated by Vajpayee - about 10,000 farmers have benefited by increasing the shelf life of onions. However, the Centre, set up at a cost of Rs 8-10 crore, is currently used to irradiate mostly mango meant for export to the US, officials said.

Maharashtra is India's biggest onion producer, contributing 75 per cent of annual output.