Govt seeks Barc tech to control price rise

The government has asked Barc to make available its commercial version of irradiation technology

The government has gone on an overdrive to find a permanent solution to the trend of high price rise in July- November of pricesensitive items each year.

The government has asked the Barc ( Bhabha Atomic Research Centre) to make available its commercial version of irradiation technology to private enterprises so that surplus price- sensitive items like onion, tomato and potato could be preserved for a six month period and released in the market during JulyNovember peak season.

The move is being overseen by senior ministers Nitin Gadkari, Ram Vilas Paswan and Radhamohan Singh, while steps are being taken for substantial investment in cold chains which will be equipped with nuclear technology for higher shelf- life of the perishable items. The initiative being taken at the direction of PM Narendra Modi is being expedited, as the internal assessment suggests that there could be much higher spike of these items next year due to erratic and below the normal rains this year.

The government aims to use the Price Stabilisation Fund to help the entrepreneurs to set up such centres to store the perishable vegetable items for a longer shelf- life. “The government on a priority is working out a permanent solution to the annual trend of price rise each year during JulyNovember. The mechanism seeks for price stabilisation of onion, potato, tomato and green chilli,” said a senior official of the ministry of agriculture.

The official also said that the government is seeking drastic improvement in cold chain and effective use of irradiation technology on a commercial scale to preserve the vegetable items for longer shelf- life.

Mr Gadkari has reportedly asked the Barc to make the technology available which could be widely used for price stabilisation of the perishable items.