Poor Storage, Transport Drive Unsafe Chemical Fruit Ripening In Nigeria
By STELLA JOHNSON OGBOVOVEH
AGRICULTURAL stakeholders have linked unsafe chemical fruit ripening practices in Nigeria to persistent weaknesses in the country’s post-harvest system.
They identified inadequate storage, poor transportation, weak cold-chain facilities, bad roads and market uncertainty as some of the pressures facing farmers and traders handling highly perishable produce.
However, they stressed that those challenges do not justify the use of dangerous industrial chemicals to ripen or preserve fruits.
Instead, they called for better post-harvest infrastructure and safer technologies to reduce losses while protecting consumers.
Perishability Creates Pressure
Adebowale Onafowora, Managing Director of BIC Farms Concept, said the use of dangerous industrial chemicals such as calcium carbide to force fruits to ripen could expose consumers to harm.
He described the practice as “poisoning people” and argued that it could be avoided if farmers and traders had better post-harvest support.
According to him, fruits such as plantains, bananas and mangoes are often harvested before full ripeness so they can survive long journeys from rural production areas to major markets such as Lagos and Kano.
Once the produce reaches those markets, however, traders face pressure to sell quickly before the fruits deteriorate.
“Once it arrives, traders are in a race against the clock,” Onafowora said.
Financial Losses Add to the Problem
The pressure can become more severe for traders who finance their purchases with expensive credit.
Onafowora explained that a trader who borrows at high interest to purchase a truckload of fruit could suffer major losses if the produce spoils before reaching consumers.
That financial pressure can create an incentive to accelerate ripening or preserve the appearance of fruits.
Nevertheless, he maintained that economic hardship should not become a justification for exposing consumers to potentially harmful substances.
He also identified the absence of temperature-controlled aggregation centres as a major gap in the post-harvest chain.
Cold Chain Remains Weak
Prince Oyewumi Oyedele Oyetunde, Editor-in-Chief of Farmers Choice Magazine, similarly linked unsafe practices to the combined effects of perishability, market demand, inadequate storage and poor transportation.
He said fruits could deteriorate rapidly when exposed to heat and poor handling.
Unreliable electricity, inadequate cold-chain facilities and long-distance transportation can further accelerate spoilage, he added.
Oyetunde also noted that some traders seek uniform colour, faster ripening and a competitive advantage.
Limited awareness of approved substances and weak monitoring could compound the problem.
He therefore urged farmers and traders to adopt approved technologies and proper post-harvest practices rather than resorting to unsafe chemicals.
Infrastructure & Roads Matter
Oyewole Okewole, Senior Associate Consultant at FutuX Agri-consult Limited, said the short shelf life of many fruits gives farmers and traders only a limited period to sell their produce before its value declines.
He said farmers sometimes try to speed up ripening to take advantage of periods of strong market demand.
However, poor roads can extend transportation times, while inadequate storage and cold-storage systems leave producers with little flexibility to wait for better prices.
The result, he said, is an interconnected problem involving perishability, storage, transportation and market access.
Farmers producing commodities such as tomatoes, bananas and plantains can suffer substantial losses when they cannot move their produce quickly enough.
Safer Ripening Options Exist
The stakeholders said farmers and traders do not have to rely on dangerous chemicals.
Onafowora recommended the controlled use of food-grade ethylene for fruit ripening.
He also identified a traditional method that uses naturally occurring ethylene by enclosing mature fruits with ripe bananas or mangoes in ventilated and shaded spaces.
Modified-atmosphere packaging and simple evaporative cooling systems, including zero-energy cool chambers made with brick and sand, were also identified as alternatives.
Better Handling Can Reduce Losses
Oyetunde recommended harvesting fruits at the appropriate maturity stage before sorting, grading, packaging and hygienic handling.
He also advocated suitable refrigeration, ventilation and temperature and humidity control.
Where appropriate, drying, freezing, controlled-atmosphere storage and approved food-grade coatings could help preserve produce and reduce losses.
Shared cold rooms, packhouses and ripening facilities could also ease pressure on individual farmers and traders.
He added that food-safety training and stronger regulatory monitoring were necessary to improve compliance.
Low-Cost Solutions for Rural Areas
Okewole recommended proper sorting and grading to separate damaged, diseased and mature fruits.
Where conventional refrigeration is impractical, he suggested zero-energy cooling chambers and improved ventilated storage.
For off-grid production clusters, solar-powered cold rooms could provide another option.
He also recommended pre-cooling where appropriate and urged farmers and traders to use crates rather than sacks or rough containers that can cause bruising.
Better packaging and careful handling during transportation, he said, could further extend the quality and marketability of fresh produce.
Fixing the System
The stakeholders’ recommendations point to a broader solution than simply banning unsafe ripening practices.
Farmers need storage facilities. Traders need reliable transportation and markets. Rural production areas need better roads and affordable cooling systems.
At the same time, consumers need stronger protection from unsafe food-handling practices.
Improving the post-harvest system could therefore reduce financial losses for farmers and traders while creating safer pathways for fruits to move from farms to consumers.
The underlying challenge is to ensure that reducing food waste does not create a separate food-safety problem.
