The government has launched a challenge for startups, students and corporates to develop technologies that can lessen the rotting and damaging of onions as 30-40 % of the key kitchen item is reportedly lost during storage. The challenge, seemingly aimed at finding ways that can lower the prices of onions.
The challenge is split into 4 parts: improvement in designs of storage structures, pre-harvesting stage, primary processing and valorisation, and utilization of unused onions. “The department of consumer affairs, food and public distribution, announces to develop, ‘Technologies for Primary Processing, Storage and Valorisation of Onions’ via ‘Grand Challenge on Onion Storage’,” the department said in a tweet.
Dept. of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution announces to develop, 'Technologies for Primary Processing, Storage and Valorization of Onions' via 'Grand Challenge on Onion Storage'.#customers #ConsumerRights #JagoGrahakJago pic.twitter.com/FWy4gJg78T
— Consumer Affairs (@jagograhakjago) July 10, 2022
As per the tweet, undergraduate students, post-graduate students, PhD students, research scholars and non-teaching staff are eligible to take part in the challenge. MSMEs, startups and Indian companies can also participate. The Times of India said the department has written to more than a hundred universities asking for their participation. According to the department, onion rates rose up to 2.3% in June from May.