The business plan model for the installation of a multi-purpose irradiator in Brazil was launched on Tuesday (22/11), in Brasília, a technology that can help avoid wasting food, such as fruit, and contain pests in crops .
The document “Business plan model aimed at the installation and sustainable operation of a multipurpose irradiator to promote the use of food and other products in the agricultural sector”, published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa), simulates the installation of an irradiator that would use electron beams to treat tropical fruits.
At the launch, the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa), Marcos Montes, highlighted the importance of giving visibility to the document. “It is an important tool to demonstrate to the market the viability of the technology, which contributes to boosting exports of Brazilian agricultural products, in addition to reducing waste.”
Food treated with irradiation technology is already consumed in more than 60 countries. In a safe way, the technique allows you to reduce production losses, extend shelf life and avoid poisoning due to contaminated food. The multipurpose irradiator has proven to be efficient in controlling insects and pathogenic microorganisms.
With this technology, Brazil could expand exports, as the shelf life of the fruits would be extended. The document also mentions that the equipment could be used to treat meat, vegetables, condiments, nuts, herbal medicines, fruit pulps, animal feed, packaging and other products.
The model, built over the course of a year by a specialized consultancy, estimates that the technology could generate annual revenue of R$261 million with a payback of 3,9 years. The minimum volume of products irradiated in three shifts of operation would be around 270 thousand tons.
The Secretary of Systems Coordination of the Institutional Security Office (GSI) of the Presidency of the Republic, Rear Admiral Marcelo da Silva Gomes, highlighted that the use of nuclear technology goes far beyond the field of energy, and can be used to combat food insecurity . “Brazil is one of the few countries that dominates the entire nuclear fuel cycle. We have the ore, we dominate the cycle and we have the technology. We have all the conditions to be an important player worldwide,” he said.
Also participating in the event were the head of the Special Advisory for Strategic Affairs, Guilherme Bastos; the Secretary of Innovation, Sustainable Development and Irrigation of Mapa, Cleber Soares; the director of Development of Production Chains at Mapa, Alexandre Barcellos; the director of Mapa Programs, Luis Eduardo Rangel; the general coordinator of Integrated Agricultural Production Systems, Marcus Vinicius Martins; the general coordinator of Animal Health, Jorge Caetano Junior; the Agricultural Chain Development coordinator, Lara Sousa; the federal superintendent of Agriculture in São Paulo, Andréa Moura; and the technical advisor of the GSI Nuclear Coordination Department, Fabiano Petruceli.
The idea of encouraging the installation of a multipurpose irradiator to serve agriculture took shape in 2018, when the Institutional Security Office (GSI), through the Brazilian Nuclear Program Development Committee (CDPNB), saw the potential of the technology and invited o Map to participate in the committee.
In 2019, under Minister Tereza Cristina, a Working Group (GT) was created to address the issue with Mapa. This GT, through the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), launched the notice to select the consultancy that could create the business plan. The professional chosen was Patrícia Wieland, PhD in production engineering from PUC-Rio and vice-president of the Board of Directors of the Brazilian Company of Participations in Nuclear and Binational Energy (ENBPar).
Mapa asked the consultancy to deliver four products: a survey of the international market for irradiated products; two marketing and dissemination plans for the multipurpose irradiator technology (one for the production sector and the other for society in general); a technical, descriptive and detailed report on factors to be considered for the installation, sustainable operation and business viability of a multipurpose irradiator, with priority use in the irradiation of agricultural products, especially fruits and vegetables; and, finally, the business plan model aimed at the installation and sustainable operation of a multipurpose irradiator.
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