TAEC to install 20bn/- nuclear technology food storage centre
ippmedia.com/en/news/taec-install-20bn-nuclear-technology-food-storage-centre
May 11, 2021
11
May 2021
Correspondent
Dodoma
News
The Guardian
TAEC to install 20bn/- nuclear technology food storage centre
THE Tanzania Atomic Energy Commission (TAEC) is planning to establish a 20bn/- food storage centre that uses nuclear technology.
Senior Researcher at TAEC, Simon Mdoe said.
The modern facility to be installed at Mbezi Luis in Dar es Salaam is projected to play a vital role in expanding and modernising the country's capacity in professional food storage.
Senior Researcher at TAEC, Simon Mdoe said yesterday when speaking to the Guardian along the ongoing Innovation Week Tanzania -IWTz 2021 held in Dodoma.
The envisaged centre will comprise installation of a modern multipurpose irradiator machine and other relevant structures.
“Preliminary work for construction of the vital facility has already started and is expected that upon its completion the center will be prudent in enabling the country to export foods and other agricultural products abroad at recommended quality,” he explained.
He added that with the use of nuclear technology the facility will have the capacity to preserve dry food crops for more than six months.
“The modern storage center will also have capacity to extend shelf life for fresh products such as fish, meat and vegetables to between two and three weeks,” he elaborated.
He observed that Tanzania was exposed to diverse and important external markets for food crops, but it was disconcerting to learn that only 10 percent of the country's capacity is being exported due to low storage technologies of items meant for exportation.
Mdoe noted that nuclear technology was vital for development of the industrial economy in Tanzania, but the use of the vital technology is still low, just at 40 percent.
Tanzania adopted nuclear technology in 1978, but started to use it in the 1990s.
According to him, nuclear technology plays paramount roles in different sectors, including health, water, mining, industrial and in power generation.