Here comes the king of fruits, carbide ripened-ToI-20.3.12

Chemical Takes Taste Out, Adds Toxic Element Instead

Hyderabad: The mango season is back and so is the fear of calcium carbide. Calcium carbide, simply referred to as carbide, is widely used for quick ripening of fruits, specially mangoes, and health experts warn that once absorbed into the body, the chemical can over a period of time cause neural problems by affecting oxygen supply to the brain. 
    Carbide is known to be a carcinogenic (cancer inducing) substance. With markets awaiting the mango rush, and given the public concern about the harmful effects of carbide, officials of marketing department are keen to dissuade wholesale fruit trader against the use of this chemical. 
    “We are expecting a government order soon, which recommends punitive measures for the trader as well as marketing officials in case of noncompliance with the government ban on calcium carbide,” a marketing department official informed TOI. 
    He added that the government is planning to constitute committees headed by the joint collector in every district and assisted by marketing officials, food inspectors and sanitation officials. “These committees will supervise markets, at point of sales outside government markets and also during transportation. If cases of carbide use are found, the goods will be seized and the trader will be penalized. Besides regulatory measures we will also take up awareness campaigns in markets to educate traders about the ill effects of carbide and suggest the use of alternatives like ethanol,” the official said. He, however, conceded that ethanol is an expensive alternative to carbide. 
    “Last year we received about one lakh tonnes of mango, which was a good yield considering the good rainfall in 2010. But owing to the reduced rainfall in 2011, the yield this time is likely to be lesser.” a Kothapet marketing committee official said. On the use of carbide, he said that they were expecting instructions to ensure that traders here do not use it. 
    The farmers and traders, however, are not convinced. They say that the government is clamping down on them without providing any alternatives. “Carbide has been in use for 30 years. Even if there are health problems arising out of it, the government should ban it only after providing us with cost effective alternatives. If fruits are to be harvested only after ripening, transportation becomes difficult. We export to places as far as Himachal from here, besides local retail outlets. Nobody wants raw mangoes because they take a very long time to ripen naturally,” said a commission agent, requesting anonymity. 
    While the commission agent seeks alternatives from the government, the farmer is worried about his livelihood. “Traders who buy from us are not willing to pay us good prices. They tell us that since they are having problems with the use of carbide, they cannot pay us the rates we are demanding,” said Arjun Rao, a farmer from Krishna district who sells his produce at Kothapet. 
    The price of mangoes per ton at Kothapet ranges between Rs 20,000 and Rs 60,000 but Rao rues that the price may not reach the higher end this year.