Harmful chemicals being used to ripen fruits in Tangail

Traders applying chemicals to ripen banana inside a godown at Talki bazaar in Modhupur, Tangail. PHOTO: STAR

Unscrupulous people are doing such unethical with a motive to earn a good profit. They usually apply chemicals to ripen pineapple, banana, papaya, lemon and others fruits here.

Farmers in Modhupur, Ghatail and Sakhipur upazilas allegedly apply ETHREL 48 SL, plant hormone spray of Indonesia, imported by Bayer Crop Science Ltd Bangladesh, COM-TOM 40 SL of China imported by Anika Enterprise and some other chemicals to ripen fruits. They also use the chemical to keep the fruits fresh. Farmers also use 'Crops care' plant hormone spray and 'Ripen' for rapid growth of fruits.

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According to chemists, doctors and agriculturists, fruits become poisonous and consumption of such fruit is harmful to health, especially for children.

Dr Abdul Hamid a retired physician opined that, a healthy person may be affected by different complicated diseases like kidney, liver and sex related problems due to intake of such poisonous fruits.

Manirul Islam, Assistant Professor of Chemistry Department in Durgapur College urged the government for immediate stoppage of manufacture and import of the chemicals.

While talking with Fazlul Karim, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture Extension, Tangail, he told The Daily Star they always discourage farmers for not applying the chemicals on fruits.

While visiting Modhupur, Ghatail and Sakhipur areas, this correspondent found that farmers had been applying the chemicals indiscriminately on fruits.

Mohoram Ali, a fruit farmer of Talki under Modhupur upazila told this correspondent they apply the chemicals on fruits to get much profit. Some block supervisors of the Agriculture Department also advised farmers not to use the chemicals.