Govt seeks proposal for multi-product food irradiation Units

The government has invited expressions of interest (EoI) for establishing multi-product food irradiation units under the Cold Chain Scheme, part of Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana, with a September 21, 2024 deadline. This initiative aims to extend the shelf life of perishable goods, such as fruits and vegetables, by supporting the setup of irradiation units.

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The government has invited Expressions of interest (EoI) from entrepreneurs for establishing multi-product food irradiation units under the integrated cold chain and value addition infrastructure, also known as the Cold Chain Scheme. The last date for submitting the EoI for proposals under this scheme, a component of the central scheme – Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana, is September 21, as stated by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.

In her budget speech for 2024-25, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced that financial support would be provided for setting up 50 multi-product food irradiation units in the MSME sector. The scheme aims to support the establishment of food irradiation units to treat perishable commodities like fruits and vegetables, thereby enhancing their shelf life.

A budgetary provision of Rs 179.8 crore has been allocated for the Cold Chain Scheme for FY25. Financial assistance in the form of grants-in-aid or subsidies will be provided to eligible projects under this demand-driven scheme.

To enhance the shelf life of onions and reduce storage losses, the government aims to irradiate 5,000 tonnes of onions this fiscal year, which has been procured from farmers for buffer stocking under the Price Stabilisation Fund. In FY24, as part of a pilot, 1,200 tonnes of onions were irradiated using gamma rays, with the protocol developed by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). BARC has developed an onion-specific irradiation and cold storage system that extends the storage life of ‘rabi’ onions up to 7.5 months.