Last year, an upgrade to the Hà Nội Irradiation Centre was approved and allocated funding of around VNĐ20 billion (US$896,400). The upgrades are expected to increase Vietnamese fruit exports, particularly of those from the northern region, to overseas consumers.
Previously, the centre could irradiate some agricultural products such as onions, garlic and dried medicinal herbs, but it operated on a small scale and not professionally.
The upgrades, which include adding a 200sq.m freezer storage unit, modern irradiation equipment and other technology, will allow the centre to irradiate fruit such as lychees and longans this year onwards, Director of the Centre Đặng Quang Thiệu reported.
Director Thiệu said when fruits grown in the northern region were irradiated in Hà Nội, fruit firms were able to save some VNĐ16 million per tonne, as they no longer had to transport them to the south for irradiation.
The centre can handle up to 10 tonnes of fruit daily, using techniques similar to those used in neighbouring countries.
He said the centre was considering offering a discount of some VNĐ6,000 per kilogramme to fruit firms to get more of them engaged in the practice.
Lê Sơn Hà, head of the Plan Quarantine Division under the Plan Protection Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said last year was the first year that Việt Nam had sent lychees to the United States and Australia, where there are strict quarantine regulations on fruit. At that time, firms in the north had to transfer their lychee crops to the south for irradiation treatment, which increased transportation costs.
The upgraded Hà Nội Irradiation Centre will help resolve that transportation issue.
Hà said the Plan Protection Department had sent the relevant documents and samples to Australia for verification.
“If the Australian partners accept, this year’s lychee for export will be irradiated in Hà Nội,” he said.
The irradiated fruits are also expected to attract domestic consumers who are growing more concerned about food safety and consuming high-quality produce.
(1 Vietnamese Dong=0.000045 USD)
Source: vietnamnews.vn