Gujarat Chief Minister Anandi Patel inaugurated Gujarat's first ever Gama Radiation Processing Facility (GRPF) at Ramnagar village near Bavla town in Ahmedabad district today.
With a Central government grant under the national agriculture development scheme, the GRPF plant has been set up by the Gujarat state government-owned Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation (GAIC) to preserve agri-produce through irradiation, which kills insects.
Patel said that the setting up of GRPF, is a step forward to uplift financial conditions of farmers.
"The plant would make farm produce insect-free through irradiation process at very nominal expenditure. Through this process, farm produce is preserved for a very long period," Patel said, while inaugurating the GRPF plant.
Gujarat agriculture minister Babu Bokhiaria said that this wouild also help farmers export their products to international markets.
The Gujarat CM also appealed to the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committees (APMCs) across the state to set up such GRPF units in other parts of the state to keep potatoes, onions, Isabgul and spices insect-free.
