The district administration has asked traders, shopkeepers, stockists and vendors not to use calcium carbide or adopt other means for artificial ripening of mangoes and warned that action will be taken against the violators.
Collector C. Kathiravan has said that mangoes have started arriving in the market for the current season and use of calcium carbine or ethylene liquid spray for ripening within a few hours is against the natural process. Also, consuming those mangoes will cause diarrhoea, skin ulcers, peptic ulcer and irritation in the mouth for the consumers. The Collector said that consuming those mangoes regularly would lead to cancer and asked the consumers also to be alert.
Mr. Kathiravan said that officials of the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department is conducting raids at godowns and shops and had seized 150 kg mangoes that were artificially ripened. He also asked people to desist from eating such mangoes apart from consuming rotten fruits that were sold at low cost. People can lodge complaint with the Food Safety Department at 94440-42322 regarding artificially ripened mangoes and other violations.