Food safety authorities raid Nunna mango market

VIJAYAWADA: Undeterred by directions from the High Court and multiple raids last year, mango traders are going ahead with artificial, cheaper, faster and harmful methods of ripening. The district unit of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India(FSSAI) officials raided the largest mango market in the region - Nunna mango market - on Tuesday and recovered ethylene powder sachets left hidden in cartons to ripen the fruit.

The FSSAI officials said that the traders are using Chinese ethylene powder which is re-packaged at Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. "Since there is a ban on calcium carbide, the traders are using ethylene powder indiscriminately without following any scientific method. We don't know how much amount of ethylene gas will be released from the sachet once it is placed among the mangoes. This powder is even more harmful than calcium carbide ," said FSSAI-designated officer for Krishna district and zonal in-charge N Poornachandra Rao, speaking to the media.

When the traders argued that the government itself is allowing ripening of fruits in ethylene chambers, the officials said that no method apart from ethylene chamber is allowed as per FSSAI norms. "We will dig deep into the source of this powder. It is like calcium carbide so we can initiate criminal action," Rao explained.

The official appealed to traders not to use any artificial means to expedite the ripening. "For now, we are letting the traders go. We have collected a few samples to be sent for testing," he added.