Food and Drug Administration and Special Assistance Minister Narhari Zirwal has directed that illegal methods should not be used for artificial ripening of fruits and vegetables, it should be investigated and action should be taken against such illegal methods.
In this regard, Food and Drug Administration Minister Zirwal has directed that all agricultural produce market committees under the jurisdiction of the Cooperation and Marketing Department, as well as the fruit traders operating under them, should be guided and made aware of scientific methods of fruit ripening through workshops.
A meeting of officials of the Department of Cooperation, Marketing and Food and Drug Administration was held in the Ministry. Department Commissioner Shridhar Dubey-Patil, Joint Secretary R Ko Dhanawade, Joint Commissioner Mangesh Mane and Deputy Secretary of the Cooperation and Marketing Department Madhavi Shinde were present on the occasion.
Strict action is being taken under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSAI) if any case of artificial ripening of fruits using illegal chemicals or gas is found. A total of 128 samples of mango, banana and other fruits were taken for testing between April 2024 and October 2025, out of which 104 samples have been declared certified.
In the meeting, the department informed that the report of 24 samples is pending. As per Regulation 2.3.5 of the Food Safety Standards Rules 2011, the use of carbide gas for artificial ripening of fruits is completely prohibited. As per the amendment made in August 2016, limited use of ethylene gas up to 100 ppm concentration has been permitted.
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