PARLIAMENT QUESTION: APPLICATION OF RADIATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY

The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), through Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, has developed 72 improved crop varieties using radiation‑induced mutagenesis and cross‑breeding. These varieties – including 17 groundnut, 10 rice, 9 each mungbean and mustard, and others – have been released for commercial cultivation in partnership with ICAR and State Agricultural Universities, offering traits such as higher yield, early maturity and climate‑resilience (drought, heat, salinity tolerance). DAE promotes adoption via large‑scale seed production, collaborations with state seed corporations, KVKs, FPOs and NGOs, and outreach programmes. It also transfers radiation‑based food preservation technologies to private entrepreneurs and supports food‑irradiation units under the PMKSY scheme, with three facilities operational in Uttar Pradesh.