ISLAMABAD, Aug 4: The Board of Administrators of Export Development Fund (EDF) has decided the setting up of one each irradiation plant at Lahore and Karachi.

The EDF board meeting was chaired by Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan here on Wednesday.

The meeting was attended among others by Secretary Commerce Tasneem Noorani, Chairman Export Promotion Bureau Tariq Ikram. Representatives of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Board (PHDEB) participated in the meeting.

According to an official announcement, these plants would irradiate food items like rice, wheat, cereals, fruits, vegetables and processed food like spices through gamma rays treatment.

This would greatly boost exports and it would meet phyto-sanitary requirement of many countries included under WTO agreement. The first plant was expected to be ready in one-year time in Lahore for which Rs60 million had already been approved by the EDF Board.

After its completion the second plant would be set up in Karachi. The PAEC would set up and run these plants whereas PHDEB would help in marketing the services of irradiation plants.

The project was to establish commercial fruit irradiation services based on Cobalt 60 gamma radiations. The plant would use gamma rays to kill or slow the growth of disease-causing bacteria and parasites in food and related items.

These facilities would be primarily used for disinfection purposes in order to meet international quarantine requirements as well as to increase the shelf life of perishables.

The main purpose of this technology was to increase storage life of food material in the most economical way and also to fulfil international quarantine requirements such as disinfection and microbial control of horticulture produce.