Team Herald
MAPUSA: Two-hundred kilograms of bananas, suspected to have been ripened using chemicals, were confiscated by Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) team during a raid conducted at Mapusa yard, on Wednesday.
The confiscated bananas were later sent to the town’s waste disposal site for destruction with assistance of Mapusa Municipal Council.
The raid was conducted following direction by Minister for Health Vishwajit Rane, on Thursday, to crack down on godowns and yards to check artificial ripening of bananas in the State.
In a series of tweets posted two weeks ago, Rane had informed that he had a meeting with FDA officials wherein he instructed them to form different teams and crack down on the elements involved in artificial ripening of bananas.
This is the second raid conducted by the FDA team in Mapusa in last two weeks.
Around 12 banana vending premises were inspected on Wednesday at Mapusa yard. During the inspection, the raiding team found a bottle of plant growth regulator kept in the cupboard of shops 8 and 9 which was being operated by one Hanif Sheikh.
