The Union government is planning to significantly scale up the irradiation of onions this financial year to increase the shelf life of its buffer stock, a senior official said. This low, regulated dose of radiation — which poses no health risk — stops sprouting in onions, making them less perishable. “Last year, only 1200 tonnes of onions were irradiated. This time we plan to increase it to one lakh tonnes,” said Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare. She said the government aims to procure a total of five lakh tonnes of onions during 2024-25 to build a buffer stock, compared to 6.46 lakh tonnes in the last financial year. Khare said the Department of Consumer Affairs has asked two agencies — the National Consumers’ Cooperative Federation (NCCF) and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) — to identify 50 centres where onions procured for the buffer stock can be irradiated and stored. “With the irradiation process, the shelf life of onions will be increased,” she said. The NCCF and NAFED have already started procurement operations. Earlier, the stock of onions was maintained near the production belt — Lasalgaon in Maharashtra’s Nashik — but this time the plan is to stock onions near consumption centres, Khare said. “We are also looking for controlled atmosphere storage near major rail heads so that the travel time can be reduced,” she said. The procurements are happening under the Price Stabilisation Fund, which is used to build up the country’s buffer of key food commodities and release the stocks in the market when prices rise. As per data from 2020-21, India grew a total of 26.64 lakh metric tonnes of onion over 16.24 lakh hectares. Maharashtra is the leading onion producing state, followed by Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Bihar. On May 4 this year, the Centre lifted an onion export ban that had been in place since December 8, 2023. The exports are, however, subject to a minimum export price of $550 per metric tonne and a 40 per cent duty. According to sources, India has exported around 45,000 tonnes of onions since May 4. On an average, about 2000-3000 tonnes of onion are exported daily, the sources said. Curbing post-harvest losses Onion is perishable and storing it for a long period is a challenge. During storage, sprouting of onions takes place, which causes losses. As per some estimates, the post-harvest losses in onions can be up to 40 per cent. This is the reason the government is increasing its use of irradiation. In India, irradiated food is regulated in accordance with the Atomic Energy (Control of Irradiation of Food) Rules, 1996. The irradiation costs may range from `0.5 to 1.0 per kg for low-dose applications, such as sprout inhibition in onions.
