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Lack of radiation plant and cold storage causes loss of 20 lakh crores in Gujarat
6 BJP governments did not build radiation plant and cold storage, Gujarat suffered a huge loss of 20 lakh crores in agriculture, agricultural industry, price change, export, import.
Radiation plant can be very beneficial in maintaining health in Gujarat
Waste of agricultural produce worth 10 thousand crores can be prevented by radiation
Each APMC and cold storage can install radiation plant for 20 crores.
Dilip Patel
Ahmedabad, June 14, 2024 (Google translation from Gujarati)
Radiation plant has increased the export of Gujarat. An investment of 5 thousand crores in 500 cold storages in Gujarat will improve the health of the people of Gujarat and the value of agricultural produce will be crores. Waste of 10 thousand crores can be prevented.
Irradiation was allowed in India in 1994. In Gujarat after 30 years. If cold storage and irradiation plants were implemented in 1995, agricultural produce worth billions of rupees could have been exported in 30 years. So in health, agriculture and agro industry, a loss of Rs. 3 lakh crore in 30 years could have been prevented. This means that it could have been implemented in Gujarat itself since the BJP government came but it was not allowed to happen. There has been a loss of Rs 8 to 10 lakh per farmer in 30 years. If the loss of export and low prices to farmers is considered, then it is another Rs. 10 lakh crore economic loss can be considered. For which BJP or Keshubhai Patel, Suresh Mehta, Shankarsinh Vaghela, Dilip Parikh, Narendra Modi, Anandiben Patel, Vijay Rupani and Bhupendra Patel and their governments are responsible. If 500 plants were set up for Rs. 10 thousand crores.
At present there are 15-20 irradiation plants in the country. Only one in Gujarat, near Ahmedabad, is burning.
On July 2, 2022, USDA-APHIS approved the export of mangoes and pomegranates due to pressure from the US.
As per the rules, irradiation of mangoes is mandatory before export to the United States. The irradiation process is conducted under the supervision of US quarantine inspectors. The plant in Bavla was approved on July 2. This is the first plant in Gujarat to receive USDA-APHIS approval for export of mangoes and pomegranates. Now exports are increasing. Gujarat’s mangoes have started being exported to the US.
A 1,000 kilo-curie (kCi) multipurpose split type, pelleted radiation processing plant for agricultural and processed food products was commissioned by Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation in 2014 at Bavla in Ahmedabad district. An investment of about Rs. 20 crore has been made in it. Supported by Bhabha Atomic Research Center and Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology.
Benefits of radiation processing
A more effective alternative to chemical pesticides hazardous to human health and the environment, said sources in Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation.
Since it is a cold process, it does not change the freshness characteristics of the agricultural produce.
Maintains the quality, texture, nutritional value and appearance of the agricultural produce.
It does not leave any toxic residue in the food.
Unlike chemical pesticides, irradiation can be done on pre-packaged food and hence there is no risk of contamination from subsequent irradiation.
Large quantities of food can be sterilized very efficiently due to high penetration and effectiveness.
It is an eco-friendly disinfection process and does not harm the environment.
Agriculture Minister
Agriculture Minister Raghavjibhai Patel says that this year 2 lakh 3 thousand kilograms of mangoes have been e-irradiated and exported abroad by Gujarat Agro Radiation Processing Facility Unit (e-Radiation Plant). Gujarat’s fruits, onions and spices are being rapidly exported abroad due to e-radiation plant. Fruits and vegetables increase life expectancy and also increase disease resistance.
Details of GARPF:-
Acacia Plant Land area is 6,750 sq. meters Construction area is 2,368 sq. meters Capacity to irradiate mangoes is 6 metric tons per hour. There are two cold storages of 30 tons and 50 tons. There is an automated material management system. Conveyor speed- maximum 80 boxes per hour. The plant has been approved by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and the National Plant Protection Organization. In 2019-20, Maharashtra exported about 980 metric tons of irradiated mangoes to the United States. Of these, 50 to 60 percent mangoes were from Gujarat.
The Gujarat government has allocated Rs. 34 crores. It was decided that 4 irradiation plants were to be set up.
Potatoes, cereals, beans, soybeans, spices, dried onions, dried vegetables and medical products can be irradiated in low, medium and high doses as per requirement.
HRCT test was done in Corona. Which is equivalent to 10 thousand X-rays in an HRCT test which causes cancer radiation. This radiation is much less than that.
The Government of India has declared Kutch as a Mango Cluster under the Cluster Development Scheme. Hence, due to this facility, the export of mangoes from Gujarat has benefited a lot in the future.
e-Radiation processing should be done at cold stores only.
What is this technology?
Food irradiation is now becoming necessary. It destroys the micro-organisms present in food. The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recognizes irradiation as an important technology for the safety of consumers.
Food irradiation is a process that uses radiation to control insects, microbes and prevent food spoilage. Irradiation of food is similar to that of milk and canned fruits or vegetables in that it can make the food safe for consumption. Irradiation does not make food radioactive, nor does it change the taste, texture or appearance of the food.
During irradiation, gamma rays, X-rays or high-energy electrons pass through the food, destroying or inactivating bacteria and viruses. Hence the food does not cause any disease or harm to humans.
Irradiation of seeds and plant germplasm has resulted in the cultivation of a wide variety of food crops around the world. The process, which involves exposing the plant seed or germ plasma to radiation in the form of X-rays, UV waves, heavy-ion beams or gamma rays, also tends to prevent germination.
Irradiation of food is banned by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) but is considered safe. The FDA is responsible for regulating food irradiation.
Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation Ltd (GAIC) a state government enterprise, has set up a 1,000 kilo-curie (kCi) multipurpose split type, pelletised radiation processing facility for agricultural and processed food products at Bavla in Ahmedabad district in 2014 under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY).
Around Rs. 20 crore has been invested in this. The facility has been developed with the technical guidance and support of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology (BRIT).
This is the only facility in India that can irradiate onions, potatoes, cereals, pulses, isabgol, spices, dry onions/dry vegetables and medical products in low, medium and high doses as per the requirement.
Managing Director, Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation Limited, Shri D.K. Parekh (IAS) was present during the audit. He explained the importance of this plant to the audit team.
He said that the Government of India has declared Kutch as a Mango Cluster under the Cluster Development Scheme. Therefore, due to this facility, mango exports from Gujarat will benefit a lot in the future.
Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation Limited has set up three infrastructure facilities required for mango exports in the same district. It includes an integrated pack house, a gamma irradiation facility and a perishable air cargo complex.
Processing charges usually add 5-10% to the cost. The cost of irradiation is 50 paise to one rupee per kg.
Sprout inhibition in potatoes and onions and insecticides in cereals and pulses cost Rs. 5-10 per kg. But on the contrary, the price, health and spoilage benefits are huge.
To build such a plant near cold storage, a plant can be built at a cost of Rs. 15-20 crore. The Department of Atomic Energy provides scientific and technical assistance to set up such facilities.
Waste of goods
Due to the unavailability of cold storage, agricultural produce worth Rs 70 thousand crore to Rs 1 lakh crore is wasted every year in the country. 30 percent of fruits and vegetables are wasted. In Gujarat, agricultural goods worth Rs 7 to 10 thousand crore of farmers and traders get spoiled.
Of this, vegetables and fruits worth Rs 2500 per person get spoiled. And goods worth Rs 12500 per family get spoiled every year. There is a loss of Rs 1,000 per month in agricultural produce per family.
253 lakh tonnes of vegetables, fruits and spices are grown in Gujarat. If even 10 percent of this is wasted, then 25 lakh tonnes and if 30 percent is wasted, then 75 lakh tonnes are spoiled. If the price of one kg is considered to be Rs 20, then agricultural produce worth Rs 15 thousand crore is destroyed. If there is adequate cold storage, then by saving perishable agricultural produce in Gujarat, farmers can be saved from the loss of agricultural produce worth Rs 10 thousand crore.
Half of the cold storages in Gujarat are located in Disha alone.
The central government had announced in 2021 that the storage capacity of 969 cold storages of all types in Gujarat is 38 lakh 22 thousand 112 metric tonnes. Actually, there should be 1 thousand cold storages in Gujarat.
It has been decided since 2018 that 30 lakh metric tonnes will be produced in Gujarat. A package of Rs 330 crore was announced by the state government for farmers growing onions and potatoes.
A subsidy of up to Rs 5 crore is given for setting up cold storages, pack houses, radiation plants. Irradiation is necessary where there is cold storage.
Potato
Banaskantha is famous all over the country for its potato production. Banaskantha has the highest number of 200 cold storages in Gujarat. Banaskantha produces 3 crore sacks of potatoes annually.
There were about 70 cold storages in 2011. 130 new cold storages were built in five years and 100 new cold storages were also built in three years till 2015. While 15 storages were built in 2015.
Six to seven thousand people work every day. 12 thousand laborers come from outside for loading. Cold storage industry
A total of 16 to 17 thousand people are getting livelihood from this.
3000 crore business
The cold storage business and potato trade generate business worth more than three thousand crore rupees per year.
Onion
A cold store in a single APMC market in Ahmedabad
No reserve, where potatoes can be stored. There is no cold storage in Gujarat where onions and garlic can be kept safe for a long time. The reason is the expensive method. According to Ashish Guru, President of Gujarat Cold Storage Association, there are no cold storage facilities in Gujarat that can preserve onions and garlic. White onions are made in powdered form and exported abroad but there is no storage for red onion crop.
Tomato
Ripe tomatoes can be comfortably stored for one to one and a half weeks at a temperature below 13 degrees Celsius without any spoilage or shortage. In normal storage, tomatoes can be comfortably kept for 4 to 5 days without any damage. Tomato crop is such that it continues to ripen even after plucking from the tree.
Gourd
A cold storage with a storage capacity of 2,800 tonnes of jaggery was started by the 104-year-old Alidar Seva Sahakari Mandal of Alidar village in Kodinar taluk.
Arjanbhai Rajvansh was preparing to install a solar plant. Agricultural products like jaggery, milk products, dates, tamarind, gram, peanut seeds etc. can be stored. Due to which the farmers of this area will get adequate price for their produce. Rs. It was built up to 7 floors and 7 thousand square feet at a cost of 4 crores. It had the capacity to store 2 lakh gourd boxes.
Ahmedabad
Gujarat has about 700 cold storages of all types, including private warehouses of companies. Ice cream, spices, potatoes and apples are stored in large quantities. More than 2 lakh boxes of apples are stored in cold storages in Gujarat and Ahmedabad. Cold storage is also running in Sabarkantha to preserve wafer potatoes. There are also special cold storages in Dehgam, Gandhinagar and Bijapur.
Due to the economic crisis, 60 cold storages were forced to be sold.
Storage capacity
The average storage capacity of a large cold storage in Gujarat is 7000 to 10000 tonnes. Electricity bill is a huge expense. An average of Rs. 8 has to be paid per unit.
Low rent, high cost:
Only with the help of gas, fruits and vegetables are able to be properly maintained or preserved in the cold storage environment. For preserving a box of 18 to 22 kg of this fruit, they are paid Rs. 15 as rent. After saving the product for six to eight months, they can barely sell it for Rs. 90 to 120. The cost of running a cold storage is more than 25 percent of its average revenue. This cost increases by up to 40 percent due to the weakening of the insulators and the wear and tear of its machinery.
Since there is no automation, the operating cost is high. Setting up a multi-item cold storage with a capacity of 10,000 tonnes requires an investment of around Rs 20 crore with a payback period of 20 years. An investment capacity of Rs 3 to 4 crore is required to start the business.
About 110 cold storages have received solar subsidy in Gujarat.
Important State wise Cold Storage as on 31.08.2020
State – Cold Storage & Capacity Mt
Andhra Pradesh & Telangana – 405 – 15 lakh tonnes
Bihar – 311 – 15 lakh
Chhattisgarh – 99 – 5 lakh
Gujarat – 969 – 3822112
Haryana – 359 – 819809
Himachal Pradesh – 76 – 146769
Karnataka – 223 – 676832
Kerala – 199 – 81705
Madhya Pradesh – 302 – 1293574
Maharashtra – 619 – 1009693
Orissa – 179 – 572966
Punjab – 697 – 2315096
Rajasthan – 180 – 611831
Tamil Nadu – 183 – 382683
Uttar Pradesh – 2406 – 14714235
West Bengal – 514 – 5947311
All India – 8186 – 37425097
What does the future ?
Cold chain infrastructure is a temperature-controlled supply chain that involves efficient storage, transportation and distribution of agricultural grains, fruits, vegetables, livestock products, etc. to increase shelf life.
Agriculture and allied sectors contribute 18.3% to GDP and employ 45.5% of the population. The size of the Indian cold chain market is expected to grow to Rs. 1,81,490 crore by 2028 to Rs. 3,79,870 crore, representing a growth of 12.3 percent.
Rs. 6000 crore was allocated in 2017. Cold storage capacity of 8.38 lakh metric tonnes has been created till 31 December 2022.
According to a study by NABARD, the country needs additional cold storage capacity of 35 lakh metric tonnes.
Bright future of Gujarat
Area and production of horticultural crops has increased in Gujarat during the last two decades. During 20 years, the state has doubled the production of fruit crops, four times that of vegetables and three and a half times that of spice crops.
Horticultural crops are planted on an average of 60 thousand hectares per year in the state. New plantings were made in arid and semi-arid areas.
Useful
In the year 2001-02, the cultivation area of fruit crops was 1 lakh 98 thousand hectares and production was 26 lakh 62 thousand metric tonnes. 13.01 percent in fruit production.
Vegetables
The cultivable area of vegetable crops was 2 lakh 37 thousand hectares and production was 32 lakh 99 thousand metric tonnes, against which in the year 2022-23, the cultivation area of vegetable crops was 8 lakh 82 thousand hectares and production was 1 crore 67 lakh 18 thousand metric tonnes. Gujarat’s contribution in the production of vegetable crops is 12.59 percent.
Spices
At that time the area of cultivation of spice crops was 2 lakh 57 thousand hectares
And the production was 2 lakh 40 thousand metric tons, while in the year 2022-23, the area of spice crop cultivation has reached 6 lakh 57 thousand hectares and the production has reached 12 lakh 1 thousand metric tons. Gujarat’s contribution in India’s total spice crop production is 10.96 percent.
First in the country
Gujarat ranks first in the area of cultivation of papaya, sapota, lemon, ladyfinger, ajma and fennel. Derivatives of papaya, sapota, fennel, cumin, ladyfinger and ajma
Gujarat ranks first in the country. Pomegranate and lemon are second in production. Gujarat ranks first in potato and fennel productivity. It ranks second in the country in pomegranate productivity. Therefore, investment can be made in cold storage and radiation for 10 crops.
Apart from this, Gujarat has its own distinctive and globally prominent “Girni Kesar Mango” and “Kachi Kharek”. Therefore, it has become necessary to increase cold storage capacity in Gujarat. So that good returns can be obtained in vegetables, vegetables, fruits, vegetables, milk, butter, agricultural and animal products.
What is the capacity of Gujarat
Gujarat has 483 cold storages, 78 ripening chambers, 38 primary minimum processing units, 12 high-tech nurseries, 371 shortening-grading-packing units, 34 tissue culture laboratories, 23 bio-control laboratories, 19 pre-cooling units and refrigerated vans.
India has become the country with the highest cold storage capacity in the world. 37795 storage projects with a capacity of more than 619 lakh metric tonnes have been approved, for which a subsidy of Rs 2199 crore has been provided. About 250 projects with a capacity of more than 1 million have been included in the last 2 years.
Online business
The sale of online grocery and fresh food items has increased. This is expected to increase the demand for the cold storage segment rapidly. The total cold storage capacity in the country in 2019 was 37 to 39 million tonnes. Online food delivery revenue is expected to grow 60 percent by 2023.
Disa ahead of Kannauj
Kannauj district has 143 cold stores. The number of cold stores has more than doubled in the last 20 years. There were 51 cold stores. 32 new cold stores were opened between 2001 and 2010, while 62 new cold stores were opened between 2011 and 2020. The storage capacity of Kannauj’s cold stores is 1385372 metric tonnes of potatoes. (Google translation from Gujarati)
