Nature brings us a different harvest of fruit every season, writes Safiul Islam, a student at Feni Government College: the sweetness of ripe mangoes and watermelons in summer, guava and jam in the rains, nourishing oranges and maltas in winter. Seasonal fruit not only satisfies our taste but boosts immunity, improves digestion and supports overall health. Yet today, before eating fruit, we wonder: is it safe? Is it nature's gift or food poisoned by chemicals? The question is asked not only in cities but in villages, because chemicals now cast a longer shadow over seasonal fruit than nature does.

In pursuit of quick profit, many fruit growers use chemicals such as calcium carbide, ethephon, sulphur dioxide and formalin to ripen fruit, deepen its colour or keep it fresh for longer. The side effects are severe. Calcium carbide disrupts the fruit's natural enzymes, so the fruit does not truly ripen but loses its juice, aroma and nutrients. Ethephon ripens fruit artificially, which disrupts digestion. Worst of all is formalin, used as a preservative, which affects the kidneys, liver and even the nervous system. Medically, the writer says, long-term exposure to these chemicals can cause cancer and many other deadly diseases.

Fruit trees were once a common sight in village courtyards, and children's eyes lit up at picking mangoes, litchis, jam or jackfruit from the home garden. That fruit could be eaten without fear. Now most fruit reaches city markets from far away, and ordinary people have no idea how it was grown or what fertilisers and pesticides were used. If the colour is attractive, the skin glossy and the fruit large for its price, people assume it must be good, but danger lurks behind that outward beauty.

Seasonal fruit should be a symbol of healthy living, providing vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre that detoxify the body, ease digestion, keep the heart healthy and the cells active. Exposed to chemicals, however, fruit spreads poison instead. Children suffer stomach problems, digestive complications, tooth decay and even neurological problems, and older people are at still greater risk. Mental health is affected too: when people are tired and ill from poisoned fruit, productivity falls, discontent grows in families and gloom spreads through life.

Change begins with awareness, and the demand for chemical-free fruit must show in action, not just words. Consumers should not be swayed by appearance but buy fruit from safe sources, and treat unusually bright or out-of-season fruit with suspicion. Washing fruit well, peeling it and storing it naturally are essential. Planting seasonal fruit trees in our own yards, on rooftops or in open spaces can be a simple way to get safe fruit, protecting health and teaching our children to be an aware generation.

The government and authorities also have a role. Stopping chemical use in markets requires strict monitoring, mobile courts, regular chemical testing and exemplary punishment. Farmers need training in safe food production: if they understand how harmful each chemical is and how natural methods can be profitable, they will gradually move away from chemicals. The media, social organisations and local administrations can help through awareness campaigns.

In cities, interest in organic fruit is growing. Although it costs more, people are buying it because they realise health is the greatest wealth. Local farmers could take advantage of this by growing seasonal fruit organically. With financial support, training and assured markets, the writer says, a kind of food revolution is possible, protecting consumers' health and opening a new chapter for the economy.

Seasonal fruit should be eaten as nature gives it, protecting health, the environment, society and future generations. The writer wants a society where ripe mangoes bought at market can be handed to children without worry, where the fresh smell of litchis shows they grew by nature's touch, and where seasonal fruit is a source of pure nutrition, not fear. For that, there is one demand: chemical-free seasonal fruit.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.