The Director, Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, NAFDAC, Sherif Olagunju, said the agency had gone rounds market in the country, including Lagos, to conduct tests on fruits, using local and international laboratories.

He said over 2,000 samples had been collected from the six geo-political zones.

The director noted that although the results were mixed, with some ‘good’ and others ‘not too good’, there was nothing yet to warrant a declaration of an emergency.

“Internationally, artificial ripening is not something that is not permissible. It is permissible under certain conditions. In the case of ripening of fruits like plantains and oranges, one of the approved agents is ethylene gas. It is safe because it is natural.

“However, when people take calcium carbide and put water into it, it emits a gas called acetylene. Acetylene behaves the same way as ethylene, but they are different.

“What they do locally is to put the plantain on a pallet and then put the carbide under. They put water into the carbide and the gas is emitted.

“When the acetylene gas touches the body of the plantain, it ripens it. The gas, however, is not usually retained on the body of the plantain making it difficult to test for the gas on the plantain.

 “But when they were applying the gas, some particles or dusts of the carbide falls on the plantain. If you pick any of the plantain that the particles fall on, then you can identify certain contaminants that are in the carbide and then you can analyse it.”

Olagunju said the agency had intensified efforts at public enlightenment, adding that some markets had also been placed under constant surveillance.

He noted that to discourage the use of calcium carbide for fruit ripening, the importation of calcium carbide had also been placed under restriction.

“An importer of calcium carbide is required to obtain from the agency Permit-to-Import a certain justifiable quantity every year. The importer is also required to obtain Permit-to-Clear any importation any quantity within limit of approved quantity on the permit to import. If not an end user, the importer is expected to obtain a Local Purchase Order from a verified end user,” he added.

The director said NAFDAC inspectors now monitors the storage, use and distribution of calcium carbide, adding that a fraction of the chemical used by artisans in the unorganised private sector, especially welders and panel beaters, might be the source of leaks leading to misuse.

The Director, Pharmaceutical Services, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Mrs Moyo Adejumo, while saying that the use of calcium carbide was rampant, urged residents of the state to report any use of the substance in fruit ripening.

“The Ministry of Health and NAFDAC have been creating awareness and encourage members of the public to make report to relevant authorities. Where there is concrete evidence that this chemical is being used in artificial ripening of fruit and vegetables, we encourage prompt reporting for action,” she added.

The Iyaloja General of Lagos State, Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, declined response despite repeated calls and test messages from our correspondent.