The US Consul General JoAnne Wagner has inaugurated the Electronic Beam (E-Beam) tech facility for the agriculture sector in Pakistan. The facility is created through the support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Agricultural Market Development (AMD) program.
The purpose of the AMD program from USAID in Pakistan is to help improve the ability of the country’s commercial agriculture and livestock fields and to help them compete in the international and national markets effectively. This initiative will help Pakistan compete in four target product lines, which include meat, mangoes, high-value, and off-season vegetables and citrus.
The E-beam irradiation facility will benefit the agriculture sector by decreasing food losses during the post-harvest time. Following are the main benefits of E-beam technology for the agriculture sector. The E-beam tech;
- Reduces and eliminates disease-causing microorganisms
- Increases the shelf life of food products
- Controls Insects, Larvae and Eggs
- The nutritional value of the product is essentially unchanged
- Is extremely efficient and has short treatment times
JoAnne Wagner said, “We are pleased that the U.S. Government’s efforts are helping transform Pakistan’s agriculture sector by introducing innovative technologies. I’m confident that this technology will prove to be a game changer for Pakistan’s agricultural exports.”
The partnership between US and Pakistan will not only promote cooperation among farmers, processors, buyers and exporters of Pakistan’s agricultural products in the international markets but will also help to improve the quality and boost the quantity level of exportable agricultural produce. This will further help in revenue generation and employment opportunities in Pakistan.
