Some farmers and food traders habitually use carbide to facilitate the ripening of food items and fruits like bananas, plantain, mangoes and paw-paw, among others.
Okafor, who is also National President of the Potato Farmers Association of Nigeria, said the development could be a contributory factor to the current widespread of various diseases across the country. He said that the association would consider organising a meeting of its members and other agriculture stakeholders to sensitise them against the act.
Theeagleonline.com.ng quoted Okafor as saying: “A lot of diseases that people are suffering from today is as a result of using carbide to make something ripen very quickly, it is very wrong. There are many ways you can ripen fruits naturally and everybody will be happy.”
