Beware; imported fruits may contain carcinogens

Banned Calcium Carbide used rampantly
Govt sitting on report of 20 units using cancerous ripening agent

Srinagar: Five months after a survey by municipal authorities revealed that a banned carcinogenic chemical was being used to artificially ripen imported fruits in Srinagar, no action has been taken to stop the deadly practice.
According to the survey conducted by a designated officer of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) and submitted to the Divisional Commissioner - Kashmir in June this year, almost all the traders associated with imported fruit storage and distribution in Srinagar use the harmful and proven carcinogenic Calcium Carbide to ripen the imported fruits including Mango, Banana, Orange, Pineapple and others.
Calcium Carbide is known to have cancer-causing properties and if consumed for long it may cause neurological disorders, memory loss and cerebral edema.
“On the orders of Divisional Commissioner, we conducted the survey and we found that all the twenty fruit storage unit holders in Srinagar use Calcium Carbide to ripen the imported fruits early and the chemical is easily available in the market,” said a Food Safety Officer (FSO) of SMC who declined to be identified. “We submitted the report before Divisional Commissioner in June this year but so far no action has been taken.”
He said that these units existed in the summer capital in areas like Parimpora Fruit Mandi, Magarmal Bagh, Lal Chowk Bund, Hari Singh High Street, Old Bus Stand and others.
He also said that the practice of using Calcium Carbide is banned in India but in Kashmir it was being used freely.
“As per Food Safety and Standards Act which was introduced in Jammu and Kashmir last year the practice is banned and offenders are liable to face both imprisonment and fine. But so far we have only stopped issuing licenses to these traders and we don’t have orders to act against them or close these units down,” said the FSO.
Divisional Commissioner - Kashmir, Asgar Samoon declined to comment on this issue when contacted over phone.
Fruit traders while accepting its usage said that they use about 200 grams of Calcium Carbide to ripen 30 kilograms of fruits which is wrapped in a paper and placed in enclosed box. The chemical produces a gas which enhances early ripening.
“These imported fruits are (fast) perishable fruits and can’t be transported when ripe and the market for these fruits is so high that we can’t wait for their natural ripening. The Carbide can ripen the fruit in almost 24 hours,” said a trader wishing anonymity.
However, he said that there were few private ethylene gas chambers in Kashmir but it is expensive for them to ripen the fruit there.
“We have been using carbide for last several decades, if there are health problems arising out of it we are ready to stop such practice but government needs to provide avenues to traders to use alternatives. Installing ethylene gas chamber is expensive, but we are ready to install them if government provides us loan or give some subsidy,” said trader.
Deputy Director, Department of Horticulture Planning and Marketing, Kashmir division, Qazi Ajaz Ahmad said that usage of Calcium Carbide was not so rampant in Kashmir and if it is in practice somewhere then Food Safety department can take action.
“Our department is ready to provide any help to traders in this regard if they want to install their own ethylene gas chambers they can come to us and we can forward their cases to National Horticulture Board for subsidy loans,” said Qazi.