Makassar (ANTARA) – The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) is focusing on developing innovations based on nuclear technology for the health, food, and agricultural sectors.“Nuclear technology for health and food security is among the areas we must continue to develop, including food irradiation for fruit products intended for export,” BRIN Head Arif Satria said at an international conference here on Monday.Speaking at the event, which was held as part of the 72nd anniversary celebrations of the Muslim University of Indonesia (UMI) in Makassar, Satria noted that Indonesia has long depended on irradiation facilities in other countries.He cited cases in which food products had to be shipped abroad for irradiation before being exported to their final destinations, increasing logistics and production costs.To address this issue, BRIN has developed food irradiation facilities in Jakarta, enabling exporters to preserve food products, maintain nutritional quality, and protect them from microbes and pests domestically.Satria also highlighted BRIN's development of the Sidenuk variety, a crop developed using nuclear technology that offers high productivity and greater resistance to pests.“I believe this is an important solution to ensure our food products remain globally competitive through the application of nuclear technology,” he said.He added that the health sector is another key area for nuclear innovation, noting that nuclear technology has long been used in medical services.“For example, radiology is fundamentally based on nuclear technology. Likewise, in agriculture, we can develop various crop varieties using nuclear-based innovations,” he said.