Senate moves to criminalise artificial ripening of fruits
The Senate on Wednesday resolved to provide a legal framework that will ban and criminalise the sale of fruits artificially ripened with the use of chemicals for consumption in the country. The Senate also said it will consider stiff penalties for offenders, and urged the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), […]
Senate
The Senate on Wednesday resolved to provide a legal framework that will ban and criminalise the sale of fruits artificially ripened with the use of chemicals for consumption in the country.
The Senate also said it will consider stiff penalties for offenders, and urged the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Ministry of Agriculture, Consumers Protection Council and other related agencies to halt the trend.
The red chamber equally tasked the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and NAFDAC to begin visits to fruits markets with a view to stopping the sale of artificially ripened fruits for consumption in the country.
The resolutions followed a motion sponsored by Senator Okorie Anthony Ani (Ebonyi South) during plenary.
Prof. Ani, in the motion, lamented that those in the business of ripening fruits such as banana, mango and others artificially use chemicals that are dangerous to human health.
He explained that some of the chemicals could lead to serious health challenges such as kidney disease, cancer and other conditions capable of causing death.
Weighing in, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who presided over plenary, attributed the trend to attempt by some traders to make quick money, stressing that if people are not jailed on account of it, the practice would continue.
“If we don’t send people to jail, this practice will not stop. We need to initiate stiff penalties; this is a killer,” Akpabio said.
In his submission, the Deputy Senate President, Barau I. Jibrin (APC, Kano North), described the trend as worrisome, saying the practice is noticeable in Abuja, Lagos and other cities at the detriment of innocent Nigerians.
“We have to deal with this. It is killing our people, it is inhuman,” Senator Barau said. He also asked NAFDAC to have a way of checking the trend randomly for the arrest and prosecution of perpetrators.
“This is something that is destroying our health. We shouldn’t joke with this motion. NAFDAC should be told. They should have a way of dealing with it,” Barau added.
Also, Senator Amos Yohanna (Adamawa North) supported the motion, saying the use of chemicals to ripen fruits is a dangerous trend.
Senator Sadiq Sulaiman Umar (Kwara North) in his contribution said the consumption of those fruits can lead to kidney and gastrointestinal problems, adding that “We are losing too many Nigerians in this country.”
In his remarks, Senator Osita Izunaso (Imo West) called for proper sensitisation of Nigerians, saying “the people are not aware of these things.” Senator Idiat Oluranti Adebule (Lagos West) also said, “We must say no to this way of dealing with our fruits.”
Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North), in his contribution, heaped the blame on NAFDAC, saying the agency has failed to deliver on its mandate and that it should be called for interrogation.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, thereafter, mandated the Senate committees on agriculture and health to invite the leadership of NAFDAC for proper interrogation and to report their findings back to plenary for further action on the matter.