MARGAO: Wholesalers and vendors selling bananas and mangoes through the handcarts stationed along the Margao roads, specially, during the odd hours, have been allegedly using chemicals to quicken the ripening process of fruits and all this at the cost of public health.
The common man eats these artificially ripened fruits, which are being sold at a little cheaper rate – `20 to `30 per dozen, thus inviting health problems.
“When we eat these bananas and mangoes, there is a smell of some chemical and are often tasteless unlike the local bananas. The vendors swear that they never put such chemicals,’’ a buyer stated, speaking to this daily.
What indeed pushes these wholesalers and vendors to adopt the practice to artificial ripen the fruits is the fast buck they can make due to a strong demand in the market for the fruits like bananas, mangoes, apples etc.
The locally grown fruits in the state are available on a smaller scale and hence their rates are high. This drives the people with low budget to these handcarts.
“There is a commercial interest behind all this and nothing else. They have no patience to wait for the fruits to ripe,’’ a MMC councillor said.
The former chairperson, Mr Savio Coutinho informed that few were caught while selling such chemically ripened fruits in the market by the MMC and health department officials.
“Such offenders should be booked under law in the interest of the public health. The MMC, Health Department and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should jointly conduct inspections and raids to put things in place,” opined Mr Coutinho.
According to him, few at the market are carrying out such illegal business and MMC officials concerned turn a blind eye to it.
The chief officer of MMC, Mr J B Bhingui, stated that he is unaware of the permissions given to these handcart operators.
Mr Bhingui added that the MMC also would commence a drive against these illegally operating handcarts selling such artificially ripened fruits in the town and causing health risk to the consumers.
“We had clamped down on them on few occasions a year ago. It is wrong to sell such fruits dipped into chemicals for the greed of money. We permitted few handcart operators to sell fruits here in the market, but certainly not the artificially ripened ones. FDA should act tough on them and book them for risking the lives of common people,’’ commented the market inspector of MMC, Mr Anil Shirodkar.
The director of Food and Drug Administration, Mr Salim Veljee stated that their officials conduct the inspections occasionally and have booked few of them.
“But, many of them take the advantage of the Food Safety and Standard Act. The law is not very clear on the issue,’’ Mr Veljee said.
The FDA director, however, added that “the law does not allow them to use calcium carbide. If any person is found using calcium carbide to ripen the fruits their clue for us would help to book them.”
Sources disclosed that these wholesalers and vendors use a colourless volatile organic liquid used as an anesthetic to artificially ripen the fruits to meet the growing demand for fruits in the market.
Sources also indicated that in the case of chemically ripened bananas and mangoes, skin of fruits often gets blackened in a day or two whereas it is not the case in naturally ripened fruits.
And, interestingly, there has been no action coming against the fruit sellers from the concerned authority. They can be booked under the Food Safety and Standard Act.
Sources stated that the Health Act mentions severe punishment for selling such artificially ripened fruits and causing risk to human lives.The common man eats these artificially ripened fruits, which are being sold at a little cheaper rate – `20 to `30 per dozen, thus inviting health problems.
“When we eat these bananas and mangoes, there is a smell of some chemical and are often tasteless unlike the local bananas. The vendors swear that they never put such chemicals,’’ a buyer stated, speaking to this daily.
What indeed pushes these wholesalers and vendors to adopt the practice to artificial ripen the fruits is the fast buck they can make due to a strong demand in the market for the fruits like bananas, mangoes, apples etc.
The locally grown fruits in the state are available on a smaller scale and hence their rates are high. This drives the people with low budget to these handcarts.
“There is a commercial interest behind all this and nothing else. They have no patience to wait for the fruits to ripe,’’ a MMC councillor said.
The former chairperson, Mr Savio Coutinho informed that few were caught while selling such chemically ripened fruits in the market by the MMC and health department officials.
“Such offenders should be booked under law in the interest of the public health. The MMC, Health Department and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should jointly conduct inspections and raids to put things in place,” opined Mr Coutinho.
According to him, few at the market are carrying out such illegal business and MMC officials concerned turn a blind eye to it.
The chief officer of MMC, Mr J B Bhingui, stated that he is unaware of the permissions given to these handcart operators.
Mr Bhingui added that the MMC also would commence a drive against these illegally operating handcarts selling such artificially ripened fruits in the town and causing health risk to the consumers.
“We had clamped down on them on few occasions a year ago. It is wrong to sell such fruits dipped into chemicals for the greed of money. We permitted few handcart operators to sell fruits here in the market, but certainly not the artificially ripened ones. FDA should act tough on them and book them for risking the lives of common people,’’ commented the market inspector of MMC, Mr Anil Shirodkar.
The director of Food and Drug Administration, Mr Salim Veljee stated that their officials conduct the inspections occasionally and have booked few of them.
“But, many of them take the advantage of the Food Safety and Standard Act. The law is not very clear on the issue,’’ Mr Veljee said.
The FDA director, however, added that “the law does not allow them to use calcium carbide. If any person is found using calcium carbide to ripen the fruits their clue for us would help to book them.”
Sources disclosed that these wholesalers and vendors use a colourless volatile organic liquid used as an anesthetic to artificially ripen the fruits to meet the growing demand for fruits in the market.
Sources also indicated that in the case of chemically ripened bananas and mangoes, skin of fruits often gets blackened in a day or two whereas it is not the case in naturally ripened fruits.
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