Posted: November 26th, 2010 - 7:23am
Source: zawya

Abu Dhabi -- Eminent international experts on radiation in food and agriculture argued in unison at a seminar in the capital that the application of nuclear techniques would help in the enhancement of food safety and security in many ways.
The application of nuclear techniques offers effective solutions to many hitherto insurmountable obstacles to food security and helps deal better with the issue of declining agricultural productivity around the world.
The experts were speaking at the Radiation Day workshop held by Abu Dhabi Food Control on the sidelines of SIAL Middle East at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.
The nuclear technologies and bio-technologies that are being developed currently can - when integrated with more conventional methods - trigger a second green revolution that is much more eco-friendly than the first, claimed David H. Byron, Head of the Food and Environmental Protection Section of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna..
Byron said that nuclear techniques contribute significantly to reducing insecticide use and agricultural losses and facilitates agricultural trade through the eradication of major pests in crops animals.
"The growth of agricultural productivity been falling steadily from 2.9% in the 1960s, and is projected to continue falling to 0.4% in the 2040s. This is far too low to meet the continuing population growth and rise in consumer demand," he argued, saying that irradiation techniques provide the much needed remedy to most of such situations.
HE Dr. Mariam Hareb Sultan Al-Yousuf, Executive Director Of Policy and Regulation Sector at ADFCA said that the workshop on radiation was a pioneering initiative. "Its purpose is not merely to highlight the application of nuclear technology, but also to begin a process of creating awareness about the subject among the general public.
Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority is committed to keeping pace with all the latest scientific developments in its spheres of operations," he clarified, welcoming the experts to the event.