Trichy: The food safety department was urged to conduct frequent inspections and sensitization drives to prevent artificial ripening of mangoes since it is difficult for the common man to differentiate it from the naturally ripened mangoes.
"A section of traders use chemicals to artificially ripen the mangos as the demand is very high. The food safety officials should sensitise the traders to ensure the quality of fruits," S Vadivel, a resident of Subramaniapuram, said. Mangoes have been decked up in supermarkets and small shops, but the residents said that the eagerness to taste mangos is on back foot owing to the fear of being end up in buying artificially ripened poor quality fruit.
Calcium carbide stones can ripen mangos in a day and it is convenient for the traders due to its easy availability. They can obtain it from even from welding and hardware shops for a meagre price. "We have seized tonnes of artificially ripened mangoes in the previous years. Since such seizure would bring big loss to the traders, such acts have come down over the years," an official with food safety department said. The department has promised to increase the vigil to prevent artificial ripening of fruits. Officials said that artificial ripening could be identified only if they seize carbide stone along with mangos. "It is very difficult to differentiate between artificially ripened and naturally ripened mangoes without tasting them," the official said. The department has planned to focus on the shops in Gandhi Market and other places across the city.
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