f fresh fruits have been encouraged to irradiate their products as a means to secure greater orders from abroad.Dr. Sakchai Sibunsue, secretary-general of the National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards (ACFS), said on Tuesday that his agency had signed a collaboration agreement with businesses to promote irradiation of fruits before exporting to the United States. The agreement aimed to tackle uncertainty in the prices of crops, the high cost of irradiation, and the quality of products after treatment. The ACFS acted as a coordinator while the businesses supplied the money required to drive the initiative.
Dr. Sakchai said that since the drive kicked off on July 1, participating businesses have been able to export as much as 50-70% more fruits. Therefore, his agency is looking to increase the export capacity further, to accommodate demand from the US market. The US demand for irradiated Thai fruits is expected to be about 300 tons a month.
