The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has vowed to prosecute drug hawkers if caught and anyone using calcium carbide to ripen fruits.
The Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye who made this known at the Official flag off of NAFDAC Media Sensitisation Workshop, said that drug hawkers are merchants of death who are exposing essential and life-saving drugs to harsh weather conditions that degrade their active ingredients, transforming them into deadly poisons that endanger human lives.
She said “several national dailies and organisations have raised concern about these dangerous practices — drug hawking and ripening of fruits with calcium carbide.”
She lamented that most of the drugs sold by the illiterate and semi-literate drug hawkers are counterfeit, substandard or expired, and therefore do not meet the quality, safety, and efficacy requirement of regulated medicines.
“Prescription drugs are also sold by itinerant drug hawkers who also hold a consultation, recommend, and prescribe medicines to their gullible patients.
“Drug hawkers are major distributors of narcotics. They constitute serious threat to national security. Any drug hawker arrested will be prosecuted, we want to put an end to the menace.”
Also speaking on the dangers of ripening fruits with calcium carbides, the NAFDAC boss said: “The ripening of fruits with carbides is another public challenge facing us today and the Agency has deployed a multifaceted approach to tackle the menace.
“Fruits provide the body with micronutrients that improve immunity and prevent diseases among other benefits. Fruit ripening is a unique aspect of plant development, which makes the fruit edible, softer, sweeter, more palatable, nutritious, and attractive.
“However, the consumption of fruits such as mango, banana, plantain, guava, orange, grape, etc, or any other fruits ripened with calcium carbide is dangerous to health.”
She explained “Fruits artificially ripened with calcium carbide may be ripe on the skin, but the inside remains unripe. You can identify such artificially ripened fruits if you notice that the fruits are all yellow whereas the stem is dark, this is true, especially with bananas and plantains. In addition, naturally ripened fruits usually have brown or black spots, while those artificially ripened have traces of powdery substances and peel off quickly.”