MYSORE: The ban on use of chemicals to ripen fruits has evoked mixed response from the vendors at the city market.
"Natural ripening takes seven or eight days and there's a possibility of worms growing in this period. If we use chemicals like calcium carbide, fruits ripen quickly and the worms get killed," says Ateeq, a shop owner in Ragi Mandi market. "If we don't pluck the raw mangoes, they rot due to worms. To prevent this, we must store them with calcium carbide. Chemical-free mangoes are most likely to be affected by worms," he added.
The use of calcium carbide is a decade-old method to ripen fruits. "If we keep a packet of 20 mgs of calcium carbide in a 20 kg fruit basket, they ripen in three days. In neighbouring states, fruit vendors directly spray chemicals on fruits," says Hasan Ahmad, a fruit vendor in Devaraj Urs Market.
"We haven't received any orders from the district administration. We've been using this method for years. About 1kg of calcium carbide is sufficient to ripen 3tonnes of mangoes. We haven't received any complaints from customers," says another owner of a fruit shop in the same market.
"If customers eat the fruits just after washing them, it could cause a chemical reaction in the body. It's better they keep it in water for a few hours before eating it," says a mango supplier.
"It's difficult to differentiate between fruits which are ripened using chemicals and the natural way. We keep mangoes in water for two hours and then use it," said Riyaz, a regular customer at the city market.
For ripening of bananas, some vendors use calcium carbide and others prefer the conventional stove method.
However, a few vendors at the Ragi Mandi Market welcomed the ban. "The use of ethrel spray, a new method of spraying chemicals on fruit baskets, is acceptable. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research has approved it. We think it's the safest method but we need a ripening chamber for that. We need more equipment. It's not as easy as calcium carbide which is easily available. Small vendors can't afford it" says Shameem, a fruit vendor.
The horticulture department is trying to popularize the use of ethrel. Shashikala, assistant director, horticulture department, said, "We train vendors to make them aware of the carcinogenic nature of calcium carbide. Exposure to ethylene gas either directly or by dipping them into a solution of ethral will hasten the ripening process."
Ethrel is a natural ripening agent. It enhances the enthral that's produced in fruits. "It is not toxic," said Aradhya, head of fruits and vegetable technology, CFTRI, adding, "Calcium carbide releases acetylene gas which is dangerous when inhaled."