Formalin is never used on any fruit in the country, and the idea that it is used is a misconception, said Mohammad Arifur Rahman, project director of the Department of Agricultural Extension's (DAE) exportable mango production project.

"Formalin is never used on fruit. The idea that formalin is used is a wrong perception," he said.

He said this at a round table titled "Fruit Processing: Problems and Prospects" at the Jago News office in Badda, Dhaka, on the morning of Saturday 27 June.

"Formalin does not work at all on plant sources. It does not work because it is a volatile substance. However much formalin you apply to fruit, or to your plants, it will slowly evaporate. The idea that formalin is used on fruit is a wrong perception," Arifur Rahman said.

Formalin is never used on fruit, he said, though someone may use some carbide, and even that use is fairly limited. Ethephon and some other products are approved in the United States, Australia and other countries, and using them also extends the shelf life of produce.

"Even so, we cannot recommend or approve them, because of a perception of some mismanagement on our part. That is why we have to provide correct information," he said.

Moderated by Jago News editor K M Ziaul Haque, the round table also heard Dr Jahangir Alam Khan, former vice-chancellor of the University of Global Village, researcher and agricultural economist; Dr Md Golam Ferdous Chowdhury, chief scientific officer of the Post-Harvest Technology Division of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI); Dr Md Mehedi Masud, former project director of the Year-round Fruit Production Project and fruit expert; Enamul Haque, deputy director (food and agriculture) of BSTI; Ilias Mridha, managing director of PRAN Group; Md Abul Hashem, managing director of Hashem Foods Limited; Md Iktadul Haque, former general secretary of the Bangladesh Agro-Processors' Association (BAPA); S M Nazer Hossain, vice-president of CAB; Md Mahatab Ali, executive director of Kaju and Coffee Agro; Chapainawabganj agri-entrepreneur Ismail Khan Shamim; and Naogaon agri-entrepreneur Sohel Rana.

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