Artificially ripened fruits cheaper

Nellore: Not only mangoes in summer, even other fruits which were ripened with calcium carbide are flooding the city. Traders are selling such fruits at cheaper cost.

It was a practice that mangoes are sold during summer by ripening with calcium carbide for making fast money. Experts and medical professionals are warning that consuming carbide ripened fruits would badly affect health of the consumers.

In Nellore city, watermelon, muskmelon, bananas and other fruits are being sold without any restrictions as officials from the Food Adulteration wing were not taking action against erring fruit sellers. Muskmelon fruit with black marks are abundantly available in city.

They were being sold at Rs 10-15 per kg on pushcarts and roadside stalls. Interestingly, a new variety of sweet cucumber with yellow colour is also being sold in city and these were also ripened with carbide.

Because of this process, the fruit has tasteless and less sweet inside. They were also being sold at Rs 15-20 a kg. A horticulture expert Dr Ramesh Babu has warned that health of consumers will be at risk if they consumed fruits ripened with carbide.