The Philippine Nuclear Research Institute – Department of Science and Technology (PNRI-DOST) shared and demonstrated its expertise in irradiation technology and radiation processing during the National Training Workshop on Irradiation as a Phytosanitary Treatment held at the Intercontinental Hotel Manila, Makati City from September 16 to 18.
The workshop, which was organized by Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Plant Industry (DA–BPI) in collaboration with PNRI and the United States Department of Agriculture - Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA – APHIS), aimed to improve the knowledge and technical competence of local quarantine officers regarding the use of irradiation as a phytosanitary treatment against insects. These include dose mapping for determining the proper irradiation dose and exposure time of products, as well as safety and quality procedures in irradiation facilities, among others.
PNRI Section Heads Ms. Luvimina Lanuza of the Irradiation Services Section, Ms. Zenaida De Guzman of the Biomedical Research Section and Ms. Glenda Obra of the Agricultural Research Section conducted lectures at the hotel as technical experts in radiation processing and its application to food, agriculture and other plant products.
More than thirty participants from various BPI regional offices and four foreign participants from Malaysia joined the training course. Ms. Haydee Solomon (QA/QC Supervisor) and Mr. Aurelio Maningas (Senior Operator) of the PNRI Multipurpose Irradiation Facility also participated in the three–day workshop.
The training course was also conducted in anticipation of the projected entry of Philippine mango exports to the United States in the near future, as the country is well on its way to meeting the standards of the USDA in producing mangoes which are free of infestation with irradiation technology.
Part of these efforts is the submission of the quarantine treatment developed by PNRI against the local mango pulp weevil Sternochetus frigidus(Fabr.), with the proposed rule on its adoption recently published at the United States’ Federal Register. Meanwhile, the BPI will play a central role as the body tasked with issuing exports and phytosanitary certification for exporters.
The participants also visited the PNRI Compound and its radiation processing facilities – the Cobalt-60 Multipurpose Irradiation Facility which currently operates on a semi-commercial scale and the newer Electron Beam Irradiation Facility currently under construction. PNRI is also striving towards the eventual accreditation of its irradiation facilities by the USDA.
