The groundbreaking ceremony of the irradiation centre in Cần Thơ. — Photo tuoitre.vn

CẦN THƠ — The Cần Thơ Irradiation Joint Stock Company held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday (July 14) for the construction of a large-capacity irradiation centre in Tân Phú Ward, Cái Răng District, Cần Thơ City.

The centre will be located on an area of nearly two hectares. The centre will include a warehouse and irradiation line to serve in the sterilisation of fruits, seafood, food and medical products.

Irradiation is considered a safe technology that helps to kill all bacteria and micro-organisms and keep fruits fresh for longer periods, even up to a few months. Major fruit importers such as Australia, Canada and the United States require fruits to be irradiated before they enter their countries.

The centre is expected to open by 2023. Fruit firms in Mekong Delta provinces will able to save on logistics costs, as they no longer will have to transfer goods to other provinces or cities for irradiation.

The centre can handle up to 50,000 tonnes of fruit yearly.

Nguyễn Trọng Tín, chairman of Cần Thơ Irradiation Joint Stock Company, said that at present, the Mekong Delta accounts for more than 95 per cent of rice exports, 70 per cent of fruit exports and 65 per cent of seafood exports for the whole country.

According to Tín, the centre will make an important contribution to Cần Thơ as a logistics centre for the whole Mekong Delta. — VNS