Indian mango exports are set to get a boost when the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre’s (BARC) irradiation facility in Maharastra opens on next Monday, 13 April.
The BARC facility will be the only mango irradiation plant in the country, and will aid the industry’s nascent exports to the US, which prefers irradiation treatment.
The plant, at Lasalgaon in Maharastra's Nasik district has a capacity of 500 tonnes, and will begin its work with the current season of India's famed Alphonso mangoes, which have just begun being harvested.
Unfortunately, the mango season in India was hit by erratic weather conditions, and production levels are expected to be significantly down.
