Fruit vendors in Nigeria have perfected the act of artificial fruit ripening even though the chemicals they are using are hazardous. The motivation for the practice is that the fruit vendors want to make quick profit even if it is at the expense of the health of the unsuspecting consumer.
The most commonly used ripening agent in Nigeria is calcium carbide yet science has shown that fruits ripened with carbide lack basic nutrients and pose great threats to human health by being potentially poisonous. Findings indicate that many deaths in Nigeria have been partly linked to the consumption of fruits ripened with chemicals, especially calcium carbide.
In response to this, the Senate has moved to outlaw the use of harmful chemicals in the artificial ripening of fruits. During plenary on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 a bill to ban this harmful practice scaled first reading. The bill which was sponsored by Sen. Ani Anthony Okorie (Ebonyi-South) was first introduced to Senate on May 20 as a motion titled “Urgent Need to Investigate with an Intention to Halt the Continuous Unwholesome Practices of Chemical Ripening of Fruits Among Fruit Sellers in Nigeria”.
The motion also directed the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to appear before the Senate’s Joint Committee on Health and Agriculture to explain its current efforts to curb the trend.
Anthony said artificial ripening of fruits involved external application of chemicals and other agents like Calcium Carbide to achieve faster and more uniform ripening of fruits. However, he noted that this had been established to be harmful to humans after consuming such fruits, resulting in serious health risks, including renal and heart failures.
In many developing countries, low-cost chemicals such as calcium carbide, ethylene glycol, and ethephon are reported to be commonly used to artificially trigger the ripening processes of fruits.
– Sen. Ani Anthony
He further explained that the “cosmetic quality of artificially ripened fruits will increase but organoleptic qualities (taste, colour and smell), nutrition value and shelf life are depreciated when fruits are subjected to treatment without considering maturity status.”
The lawmaker warned of the severe consequences, saying, “Calcium carbide contains impurities such as arsenic, lead particles, phosphorus, etc., that cause several health hazards such as cancer, heart, kidney and liver failure, neurological disorders, intestinal problems, skin damage, mouth ulcers, etc.”
He further said, “The Senate is saddened that the practice of ripening of fruits with dangerous chemicals has been on the increase among fruit sellers in Nigeria.
“Also saddened that many of these fruit sellers are ignorant of the health hazards posed by the consumption of artificially ripened fruit, but are driven by the incremental profit made as most customers prefer to patronise. The artificially-ripened fruits due to its enhanced cosmetic appearance, not knowing that they are buying poison.”
Due to the harmful consequences, Anthony informed his colleagues that the use of such chemicals for fruit ripening had been banned in many countries.
Research shows that these toxins can cause symptoms like gastrointestinal distress, eye irritation, skin ulcers, emotional disturbances, and in severe cases, fatal organ damage leading to untimely deaths.
Despite frequent warnings from NAFDAC and calls for public awareness and legal action, the use of calcium carbide in fruit ripening remains widespread in Nigerian markets, often without consumers’ knowledge.
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