The Taraba State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Professor Nicholas Namessan Oliver, has warned residents against consuming fruits ripened with harmful chemicals, branding those involved in the practice as “merchants of death.”
In a statement released on Friday in Jalingo, the state capital, the commissioner revealed that the ministry has uncovered the widespread use of calcium carbide to artificially ripen fruits, including bananas, oranges, mangoes and avocados.
He explained that calcium carbide contains hazardous impurities, such as arsenic, lead, and phosphorus, all of which pose severe health risks to consumers.
Professor Oliver noted that fruits forced to ripen with the substance lose their natural nutrients and can become toxic, increasing the risk of cancer and life-threatening conditions affecting the heart, kidney and liver.
Beyond health risks, he added, chemically ripened fruits also suffer losses in colour, taste and aroma, making them inferior to naturally ripened ones.
The commissioner urged the public to thoroughly examine fruits before purchasing them to avoid consuming contaminated produce that could lead to serious illness or premature death.
He emphasised the importance of sustained public awareness in combating the growing sale of chemically treated fruits in markets across the state.
The ministry warned that anyone found engaging in the illegal practice in Taraba State will be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
Meanwhile, in slaughterhouses across Taraba State, a quiet yet remarkable transformation is underway. What began as a dream under the Taraba State Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support (L-PRES) project, to equip butchers, meat sellers, and processors with modern, hygienic meat-handling skills, is now visibly taking shape.
During The Guardian’s visits to several slaughterhouses, our correspondent observed cleaner facilities, more orderly work areas, and butchers who had become visibly more deliberate in the way they handled meat.
Many say the shift is a direct result of the recent three-day capacity-building training on hygienic meat-handling protocols and regulatory standards organised by L-PRES.
For years, unsafe meat handling has posed significant health risks to consumers and incurred substantial losses for those in the livestock value chain. But now,
butchers across the state say they are working “round the clock” to prevent cross-contamination and ensure that meat reaching the market is safe.
“We are beginning to see the impact already,” said James Habila, the Secretary of the Taraba State Butchers Association, in an interview with The Guardian.
“The knowledge we acquired during the training has started to reflect positively on our businesses. We now understand proper handling and storage of meat and meat products. Cleanliness and sanitation in our slaughter slabs have improved greatly.”
Habila explained that butchers are more conscious of personal hygiene and better equipped to implement protocols that reduce the risk of contamination. “We can now prevent cross-contamination of meat and meat products in our abattoirs. That alone is a big step forward.”
At the Zing Local Government Council, the local butchers’ association chairman, Mohammadu Saforo Dan’Arewa, praised L-PRES for involving butchers in its programs.
