After bananas, govt plans mango ripening chamber at Mapusa subyard
The Mapusa market sub-yard, often in the spotlight over allegations of artificial ripening of fruits using chemicals, is all set to get a state-of-the-art fruit ripening chamber.
The new facility, aimed at ensuring safe and scientific ripening of bananas, is expected to become operational very shortly.
The Rs 2 crore project has been developed by the Goa Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing Board in partnership with the central government’s National Horticulture Mission, which funded 33 per cent of the total cost.
Built on an area of about 300 sq. mtrs, the chamber houses four refrigeration units of 15-tonne capacity each, providing a total ripening capacity of 60 tonnes. A separate storage facility and dedicated staff have also been planned for smooth operations.
Work on the chamber, which was originally scheduled for completion by Ganesh Chaturthi, was delayed due to heavy rains and a pending electricity connection.
Once power supply is in place and trial runs are successfully completed, the chamber will be made operational for ripening of bananas using safe and scientific methods.
The move comes after raids by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) exposed widespread use of chemicals for quick ripening at the Mapusa sub-yard.
Currently, around nine traditional ‘bhattis’ are used by traders to ripen bananas, a process that is time-consuming, affects fruit quality and is unable to meet the growing demand.
Mapusa sub-yard caters not only to North Goa but also to customers from neighbouring Maharashtra and supplies about 15–16 tonnes of bananas every day.
“This chamber will eliminate the use of chemicals and provide consumers with safe, good-quality fruit. The project is nearly complete, and once the electricity connection is in place, it will be commissioned within 15 days,” said Satyawan Dessai, Secretary of the Goa Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing Board.
A similar ripening chamber is already functional at Ponda, with a capacity of 40 tonnes.
The government is also considering setting up a mango ripening facility at Mapusa in the near future to further promote safe fruit handling practices.
With this initiative, the government hopes to not only remove the stigma attached to Mapusa Market over artificial ripening but also ensure a steady supply of healthy, scientifically ripened fruits during the festive season and beyond.
