Bhabha may help reduce post-harvest onion loss using gamma rays

India’s premier nuclear research centre is lending a helping hand with the nation’s kitchen staple—the onion.

- Puja Das

Scientists at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, or Barc, are advising central government officials on how to preserve post-harvest onion crops by irradiating the perishables with low levels of Gamma rays.

The move comes after a successful pilot project in the last Rabi season, or winter crops, a senior official said, referring to a common post-harvest problem of onion stocks rotting in the rain.

Around 1,274 tonnes of onions could be irradiated in collaboration with the Krushi Utpadan Sanrakshan Kendra in Lasalgaon, Maharashtra. Another potential collaborator, Avanti Mega Food Park, however, has opted out because there has been no procurement of Rabi onions in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.