Telangana promotes Ethephon over banned Calcium Carbide for fruit ripening

Telangana Food Safety promotes safe mango ripening with Ethephon over harmful calcium carbide which is banned

With the arrival of mango season, the Telangana Food Safety department on Monday (April 21, 2025) has launched an awareness drive urging farmers, traders, and consumers to adopt safe methods for ripening fruits. Health Minister for Health C. Damodar Raja Narasimha, who launched the poster, said that the use of banned chemicals such as Calcium Carbide for artificial ripening poses serious health hazards and is strictly prohibited under the Food Safety and Standards Act

Instead, the department recommends using Ethephon (2-chloroethylphosphonic acid), a safer alternative approved for controlled ripening. According to the guidelines, one 500mg sachet of Ethephon is sufficient for ripening 10 kilograms of fruit.

Ethephon is a plant growth regulator commonly used in farming to help fruits ripen faster, promote flowering, or make leaves and fruits drop easily for harvesting. 

To use the chemical correctly, the Ethephon sachet should first be soaked in water and then placed inside a small plastic container, such as a soap box. This box must then be placed inside the airtight fruit box, which should be kept sealed for 24 hours to ensure effective ripening, as per the information in the poster.

In case of violations, people can dial 9100105795 to lodge complaints.