The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has issued a strong caution to fruit vendors in Billiri Local Government Area of Gombe State, warning them against using calcium carbide to force fruits to ripen, citing its serious health dangers.
The alert was raised on Friday, the 12th of September, 2025, during a public awareness campaign held by the agency after reports surfaced that some fruits in the area may have been treated with the banned substance.
During the exercise, NAFDAC’s Gombe State Coordinator, Pharmacist James Agada, explained that while fruits are meant to provide essential nutrients that strengthen the body and help ward off illnesses, those ripened artificially could endanger human health.
“Calcium carbide poses serious health risks to consumers. Our intervention seeks to protect public health by encouraging fruit sellers to adopt safe practices,” Agada said.
He went on to educate participants on how to identify fruits suspected to have been ripened with chemicals.
“Fruits ripened with calcium carbide may appear yellow on the outside while the inside remains unripe. For instance, bananas and plantains with completely yellow peels but dark stems are often artificially ripened. Naturally ripened fruits usually show brown or black spots, whereas artificially ripened ones often peel off quickly and may have traces of powdery substances,” he said.
Agada listed possible consequences of eating such fruits, including cancer, kidney and liver damage, heart issues, skin reactions, ulcers, constant thirst, irritation of the mouth and nose, and general weakness.
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He emphasized that the agency’s present approach is to enlighten before taking action.
“We want to appeal to the conscience of fruit sellers to do the right thing. But let me be clear those who persist in violating the regulations will face sanctions. Protecting public health remains our priority,” he warned.
He also encouraged traders to report offenders and make use of NAFDAC verification platforms such as the Green Book app, NAPAMS, and Scan2Verify to check product authenticity.
Reacting on behalf of the traders, the Chairman of the Fruit Sellers Association in Billiri LGA, Alhaji Murtala Mohammed, applauded the effort and assured that members would abide by the directive.
“We are grateful for this sensitisation. I want to caution our members against using calcium carbide because of its harmful effects. There are safer alternatives like pear and garden egg extracts that can be used to ripen fruits,” Mohammed assured.