Agriculture Minister bans use of Ethephon to ripen plantains

The Cameroonian Minister of Agriculture, Gabriel Mbairobe (pictured), issued a note earlier this week calling on plantain producers to stop using Ethephon to ripen the fruits. “Pesticides containing the active substance Ethephon are approved in Cameroon only for the cultivation of pineapples and rubber. Ethephon does not ripen plantains. It only gives them a yellow color,” he explained, implicitly prohibiting the use of this chemical substance on plantains. According to officials, certain chemical substances, such as formaldehyde and Ethephon, are regularly misused for purposes other than their regulatory uses. “These misuses are contrary to the provisions of the April 21, 2003…