This refers to the report "Mango exports to further dip this year" (April 1). Why should the domestic consumers continue to eat mangoes that have been ripened artificially? The Maharashtra government has taken stringent measures to meet the requirements of export markets such as New Zealand, Japan and Australia, among others. The mango crop has been damaged this year due to unseasonal rain. These measures include the irradiation of mangoes for export. Last year, the European Union (EU) banned imports of Alphonso mangoes from India because of concerns of high-level contamination. The EU continued to import mangoes from Pakistan. The EU has lifted the ban, as the exporters of mangoes have agreed to use "hot water treatment", as is done by other exporters. Can't the same measures be extended for domestic consumers of mangoes and other fruits? Why should domestic consumers get a different treatment?
Not only mangoes, other fruits such as bananas, papayas, pineapples and guava are also artificially ripened using calcium carbide to make quick profits. E-commerce sellers advertise that the mangoes they sell are naturally-ripened. This shows that there mangoes are artificially ripened and sold elsewhere. Moreover, calcium carbide can cause serious damage to the human body.
Deendayal M Lulla, Mumbai
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